Liverpool fans have ideas to improve Anfield atmosphere but reality clear and Arne Slot knows it
"Where's your famous atmosphere?". It's a chant heard quite often coming from Anfield's away section, whether there is a brief lull in the home end for a minute, or the Liverpool fans in attendance are as quiet as they were against Nottingham Forest just over a week ago.
On most occasions, the answer is simple: the famous atmosphere is saved for the biggest matches, usually in European competitions. It isn't going to come out when Liverpool is two or three goals up against Bournemouth or Brentford; after all, it is only at its most powerful when used sporadically.
In the big moments, when the crowd can make a difference, Anfield usually stands up and is counted. The fact that it was so flat against Nottingham Forest was as surprising as the dismal showing by the players on the pitch.
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Arne Slot was asked about Anfield after that game, of course, and the Liverpool head coach was not quite as bold in the way he responded as Jurgen Klopp was when he first arrived and declared that he felt "alone" when people left early. "I think we as a team, and as players, have to be aware of the fact that fans need something to get behind the team, and I don’t think we did this enough," Slot said diplomatically.
"The only thing I can ask the fans is if we don’t show up enough, maybe they can help us and say, ‘OK, it looks like it’s not their day, let’s help them by singing, cheering’, or whatever they can come up with. But I like to look at ourselves, we have to do better, and if we do better, I think the fans will enjoy what they see, and then they will be behind the team."
That was certainly the case against Bournemouth. Liverpool played better and it was no coincidence that as a result, the mood in the stands was much improved. It probably also helped that the week before was so flat that a repeat was never going to be allowed.
In the time that has passed since Liverpool lost to Nottingham Forest, the Anfield atmosphere debate has taken hold again on social media, on podcasts, and on fan channels. It is a topic that sporadically appears and there are always the same conclusions drawn.
Are there too many tourists? Is it too hard for younger supporters to get tickets? Are those who have been going for years less likely to sing than those who are fresh to the experience?
Spirit of Shankly, the Liverpool fans' union, has already discussed everything at length. A "young people" section could help, it has previously argued, The Athletic reports, where that demographic are seated together. Getting more younger people in full stop will only happen if more tickets are made available, with the demand so high that for many, access is impossible altogether even if they can afford to pay the expensive prices.
A scheme where older fans who have season tickets on The Kop and don't want to sing anymore could move to other stands to make room for younger voices has also been suggested in the past. That would certainly have some merit.
Ultimately, though, it all goes back to a wider issue: the number of people wanting to buy Liverpool tickets far exceeds the supply of them available. And if Callum Hudson-Odoi's long-range shot had landed just wide rather than being planted in the corner of Alisson Becker's goal, while the atmosphere conversation wouldn't have been gone forever, it probably wouldn't have reappeared right now.
As long as Liverpool is winning, the noise around the topic will quieten — no matter the decibel level in the stands. And with three of the next four home games in the Premier League against Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester City, it is safe to say the atmosphere chatter can be put back in its box for another few weeks.