If at least some within Liverpool's worldwide fanbase are feeling a bit jittery after seeing their team's healthy Premier League lead cut down in the last week or so, it's a feeling that is not being shared inside the club itself. Arne Slot was asked, with sincerity, on Friday if he - as the head coach of the Premier League and Champions League leaders - was surprised by the raft of questions that seemed to carry a negative tone or a less-than-positive slant during his pre-match press conference.

And while the Reds boss batted it away in that affable, disarming style of his, it's accurate to reflect that any pressure being felt at present is all external. Here Liverpool are, with all these problems as Premier League leaders, the theory went. It's a fair point, even if there is the typical vociferous outcry whenever three points aren't hoovered up.

This current period that has seen them record back-to-back draws with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest might be clouded further by the Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Tottenham, but there is a second leg to come to at least offer the chance to render that 1-0 reverse inconsequential. Any damage of late is viewed as cosmetic only at this stage by those who make the key decisions around Anfield.

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The question remains though: is this a period a minor blip only or the beginning of a new-year's dip that could prove fatal to title hopes? Saturday's action will prove hugely instructive either way and Liverpool might just be about to get their answer.

The Reds travel to Brentford and the hosts' imperious home record should be a cause for concern. Thomas Frank's side have only lost twice at the Gtech Community Stadium all season, but victories for Nottingham Forest and Arsenal at least indicate that the division's top teams are good enough to emerge from west London with maximum points if the application is correct.

Slot was at pains to stress just how impressive the Bees are under their long-serving manager and in Yoane Wissa and Bryan Mbuemo, they have two of the three leading marksmen in home fixtures this term. Last season's 4-1 stroll for an injury-hit Reds side offers historical encouragement but the two previous visits during Brentford's time as a Premier League outfit have been either difficult or chastening outings. A 3-3 draw in 2021 was followed up by a miserable 3-1 defeat at the start of 2023 as the true scale of Liverpool's malaise that season under Jurgen Klopp started to truly dawn.

Despite that, however, the leaders' record against their hosts is generally excellent. That Liverpool loss is Brentford's only victory in 14 meetings that span nearly 90 years between the two and while Slot tried to insist he won't be checking for Arsenal this weekend, their visit from Aston Villa later that day will carry much more pressure if the Reds extend their advantage to seven points.

As it stands, Arsenal remain firmly on the coattails of the league leaders but injuries to Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and, to a lesser extent, Ethan Nwaneri mean creativity and goals have been at a premium of late and set-piece expertise has become something of a crutch for Mikel Arteta. How much that is a sustainable tactic for a team with title aspirations is debatable and the Gunners boss is facing up to increased demands from his fanbase to enter the market for a big-money striker who will ease the burden in front of goal.

Liverpool's pertinent issue is down the other end just now and despite having the sort of attacking options that are the envy of Europe, of the 20 goals they have conceded this term, the last 12 have come in the seven most recent league games. The leaks have been disruptive to progress in 2025 and that is the area that needs to improve if a potentially exciting second half of the term is to reach its full potential.

As the mood around the AXA Training Centre proves, successive draws have been no reason to push the panic button just yet but the significance of each game only intensifies now. An imperfect campaign can still yield the biggest prize for Liverpool but the margin for error is becoming smaller and smaller.

Slot might argue that the same is at least true for Arsenal and today could yet go a long way towards shaping the remainder of the season.