Jan Molby Shares his Verdict on Liverpool’s Champions League Hopes
On the latest episode of the Anfield Index podcast Molby on the Spot, Jan Molby joined Trev Downey to examine Liverpool’s current form and their pursuit of Champions League qualification under Arne Slot.
The conversation was not fuelled by hype or hollow optimism. Instead, it centred on a hard truth about Liverpool’s recent wins and whether they truly signal momentum in this Champions League race.
Despite securing a crucial away win over Sunderland on Wednesday, Liverpool still sit 6th in the Premier League and are two points behind Chelsea in fifth.
Liverpool Wins Without Conviction
Molby opened with a line that perfectly captures the current mood around Liverpool.
“Trevor, I say this after every win that there’s nothing in the previous win that convinces me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the performance last night… this is about one thing. This is only about winning. Let’s just win this game, get on the bus and get back home.”
“I have to say that having said all of that… there is nothing that convinced me in that performance that we’ll win the next five or six games.”
That is the concern. To secure Champions League football, Liverpool will likely need exactly that, a sustained run of victories while rivals remain “banging form”.
“Everybody’s talking about we need to win five or six games and I’m going well I don’t see evidence of that. I generally don’t still don’t.”
For Arne Slot, this is the defining challenge of the season. Turning isolated wins into repeatable dominance.
Repeatable Patterns and Arne Slot’s Structure
Downey referenced analysis from Anfield Index contributors Dave Hendrick and Carl Matchett, who have repeatedly pointed to the lack of “discernable repeatable actions” in Liverpool’s play.
Molby agreed without hesitation.
“That’s all you do, Trevor.”
He reflected on Liverpool training in his era, where repetition was everything.
“We need to practice… we do the same things again and again and again which is win the ball, stop the opposition, make a pass, take a shot or whatever.”
Elite football is not complicated. It is about executing a small number of fundamentals relentlessly. Under Arne Slot, Molby suggests, Liverpool are not consistently showing that clarity.
“We’re still waiting for that big moment… where we go, wow, wow, this not look right, is it? Because I’m thinking that if we’re anywhere near what we’ve been over the last few years, we win two or three last night, you know, that’s simple as that.”
Mo Salah’s Struggles
The conversation inevitably shifted to Mohamed Salah and Liverpool’s attacking balance.
Molby recalled how, as a player manager, he structured a system to maximise his best player.
“I could actually design a way of playing that suited what was our best player.”
By contrast, he sees Salah operating in isolation.
“I still see for a lot of the games he plays isolated isn’t he? He’s isolated out there on the right. He hardly ever gets the ball before the opposition are set in their low block.”
That has consequences.
“It is almost like give Mo the ball and ask him to do what he could do five years ago, but he can’t do that anymore.”
Molby’s assessment is tactical rather than sentimental. Liverpool may not have adapted quickly enough.
“We might not have been quick enough to maybe alter the way that we attack slightly.”
He even suggested that if pace on the flank is the primary requirement, then alternatives exist.
“We would be better off with Jeremy Frimpong standing there in that position because he can with his ridiculous burst of pace get past the fella again and again.”
It is a pointed remark about stubbornness, and about whether Arne Slot is maximising his assets in this Champions League push.
Champions League Pressure and May’s Defining Fixtures
With 12 league games remaining and 36 points available, the arithmetic is clear.
“We’re going to need a lot of points, I think.”
Molby highlighted the form of rivals.
“In that top half, the only two clubs who won four is Manchester United and Chelsea. So they’re in good form.”
Liverpool sit within touching distance, but proximity alone does not guarantee qualification.
“They are two clubs banging form… and that’s our biggest challenge.”
The fixture list builds towards a dramatic May featuring clashes with direct competitors. Molby’s summary was succinct.
“May is a beast.”
Yet there is also opportunity.
“This is the moment… we’re playing some of the best teams in it. Let’s go. I can’t wait for this.”
For Liverpool and Arne Slot, the equation is simple. Show repeatable quality, prove that recent wins are not one offs, and seize the Champions League place.
Until then, Molby remains unconvinced.
“Somewhere in our players and in our squad there’s enough ability to be able to do that but they haven’t been able to show me that wow this is the moment.”
That moment must arrive soon, or the Champions League conversation will become a post mortem rather than a pursuit.
