The ONE problem Arne Slot still hasn't solved

All-in-all it feels as though Liverpool are back, not playing at their sparkling best, but competing at a level that is going to give them a reasonable chance of winning any of the games they contest.

The defensive organisation looks a lot better than it was the start of the season, which creates a stable foundation for the attackers to take a few more risks when looking to break the deadlock.

Inherently linked to the improvements made in the defence is the midfield, which is now a lot more compact that it used to be, making it a lot harder for the opposition to dominate in the central areas.

And then you've got players like Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong, who all know what their role in the team is, and are able to get into situations where they can thrive.

The only problem left for Arne Slot to solve is what nearly cost the team on Saturday against Wolves.

Set piece frailties remain unresolved

The consolation goal for Wolves in Liverpool's 2-1 win at Anfield came from a set-piece and it represented 0.75 of their total 1.07xg from the contest. That's all it takes to change a game.

Prior to the finish in the 51st minute, the Reds had dominated and barely gave Wolves a sniff at goal, and in fact, there wasn't much from the visitors after they scored - although the mood inside the stadium turned. All of a sudden, the result was plunged into doubt and old wounds were reopened.

Fortunately, the team managed to get across the line, in spite of failing to restore their two-goal advantage. It was the second game in a row that Liverpool needed to hang on to a deserved win.

Tottenham's goal last week came in the 83rd minute, and Thomas Frank's nine-man side had the firepower and the home crowd to seriously threaten an equaliser from initially being 2-0 down. This time, Wolves couldn't find a way to get back into the game, but it was an unnecessary situation.

According to The Athletic, the Reds have now conceded 12 set-piece goals, which puts the team alongside Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. The reigning title winners simply have to do better.

Of course, the context here is that Wolves are in 20th place and their goal at Anfield was only the 10th they've scored in the Premier League so far this season, through 18 games played. But Spurs have less points than they did at this point last season, so neither of the last two wins were great.

What's important is that the wins are coming and we're not relying on late-goals to get results, but having such a high risk of throwing away a hard-fought and well-deserved win is a major problem.

In general, the Reds have loads to be positive about. The 2-1 victory on Saturday was their fourth in a row and we're now on a seven-game unbeaten streak - a far cry from the nine losses in 12 games spell that had plagued the team earlier this season. Liverpool are now fourth in the Premier League.

But the results need to start to come easier than this. Otherwise, our slack attitude will be punished.

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