Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was delighted to have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League but even he admitted the 6-0 thrashing of Qarabag was unlikely to quell the noise surrounding their domestic form.
Midfielder Alexis Mac Allister scored twice and there were goals for Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Mohamed Salah – his first for the club since November 1 – and Federico Chiesa in a romp at Anfield which saw them secure third place in the table and avoid the play-off round.
But Slot knows if they cannot transfer that form to Saturday night’s visit of Newcastle then the scrutiny will not ease.
“It is what you want if you start the Champions League season, you want to finish top eight because that helps because you skip a round so we’re happy that we are going straight away to the last 16,” he said.
“There was an obvious improvement (from the 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth) but with all respect for the team we faced tonight I expect Newcastle to be a stronger side than Qarabag.
“If we can improve in both boxes it’s going to be very hard for any team to play against us, but showing that once is not enough, we have to show this from now on constantly.”
Referring to an early injury to Jeremie Frimpong, Slot added: “Today has shown again that sometimes things are a bit more complicated than people think. Jeremie is a great example.”
Slot was already down to one recognised centre-back and just three senior players on the bench and he had to deploy central midfielder Wataru Endo at full-back for the remainder of the game.
But despite having a squad which is shrinking by the game Slot does not think there will be any late movement in the transfer window.
“As a club we always make decisions, as we at least think smart decisions, so we not only look at the short term we also look at the longer term, that’s why we sign very good players but young ones that can still develop,” he said.
“It always depends on are there players available that we think can help us, and if they are, can we afford them and can they also be helpful for the longer-term future because our players will come back from injury as well.
“What we don’t want to have is a squad where we have four right-backs and 12 midfielders and three or four number nines. That’s not how it works over here so we have to do the smart things for the near future, but also for the longer future.
“Let’s first see how Jeremie is, maybe he’s not able to play Saturday, but maybe he’s able to play it one or two days later and we now go into a schedule with one game a week so that will usually mean less injuries, but you’re never sure.”
