The Azerbaijan outfit were spotted at Liverpool John Lennon Airport

The future of Trent Alexander-Arnold has dominated headlines in the last few days of the January transfer window

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was speaking before his side's crucial Champions League clash at home to Qarabag

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was speaking before his side's crucial Champions League clash at home to Qarabag

Heightened security measures have came into force at the home of the Reds this season

Heightened security measures have came into force at the home of the Reds this season

A young Liverpool goalkeeper is set for a move to MLS ahead of the new season, while there has been an update on Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate.

Liverpool goalkeeper to make MLS move in January window

Liverpool goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek is expected to join MLS side FC Cincinnati on loan this month ahead of the start of their season on February 21.

According to the Athletic, the transfer could become permanent as a purchase option is to be included in the deal for the 22-year-old, who has been in a senior Liverpool matchday squad six times.

Interestingly, however, he is expected to join as their third-choice goalkeeper, behind Roman Celentano and Evan Louro – which means game time is far from promised!

It is not ideal in the case of loanee goalkeepers to be that far down the pecking order, but Liverpool will hope he gets his opportunity, either for development or to bank a future fee.

The Pole spent the second half of last season on loan at National League side Forest Green but did not secure another move over the summer.

Latest LFC News: Konate and Gomez absent, new signing confirmed and Tsimikas recall latest

• Liverpool will be without Ibrahima Konate (bereavement) and Joe Gomez (hip/knee) against Qarabag, both missed training on Tuesday – expect Wataru Endo at centre-back!

• Reports in Italy have all but put the line through Kostas Tsimikas returning to the club which, in turn, almost certainly rules out any late twist when it comes to an exit for Andy Robertson – who Slot expects to stay, hurrah!

• Liverpool have confirmed their deal worth around £2.6 million with Austria Vienna to sign centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe in the summer – hopefully one of many defensive signings!

• James McConnell has undergone minor surgery to rule out another loan move this season, and Trey Nyoni won’t be going anywhere despite his lack of senior minutes and interest from across Europe

Low block: Arne Slot’s tune has changed

If we all received £1 each time Slot mentioned a low block, we’d be quite well off, but his stance has not always been so opposing, as these quotes from 2024 show:

“I prefer to play against a low block as you have the ball a lot and the other team are far from your goal.

“You’d expect us to create a lot with the quality we have. If every player plays five percent better than vs. Forest, that will make a massive change.”

Football News: Premier League transfers, Jeremy Jacqeut’s Chelsea preference

• Spain have declared they will be hosting the 2030 men’s World Cup final – games are set to be held in six different countries throughout the tournament. Putting the world in World Cup, eh! (BBC Sport)

• Man United‘s Patrick Dorgu is expected to be sidelined for around 10 weeks after a hamstring injury against Arsenal – Liverpool do not face them until May 2 (The Athletic)

• Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet has “expressed a preference” to join Chelsea despite known interest from Liverpool and Bayern Munich, according to Sky Sports. They have a great track record with young players after all…

• Premier League transfer latest: Adam Traore to sign for West Ham, James Ward-Prowse to undergo a medical at Burnley, and Douglas Luiz will return to Aston Villa on loan (The Athletic)

Liverpool FC: On this day

In 2006, Liverpool re-signed Robbie Fowler from Man City on a free transfer, over four years after he first left for Leeds.

Five days after re-signing, he came on as a substitute against Birmingham City and he had an acrobatic injury-time overhead-kick disallowed for offside – what a return that would have been!

Fowler would make just 39 appearances in his second spell at the club, scoring 12 times, but crucially, he was able to say farewell to Anfield this time around.

His career at Liverpool concluded with 183 goals and 369 games, and the nickname God.

Adblock test (Why?)

Arne Slot will be down to the bones in defence for Liverpool's Champions League match at home to Qarabag on Wednesday

Arne Slot will be down to the bones in defence for Liverpool's Champions League match at home to Qarabag on Wednesday

Arne Slot cannot catch a break. Three days on from a season's best performance at Marseille in the Champions League, there Liverpool were, getting beat by Bournemouth at the Vitality. Inconsistency continues at an unfathomable rate.

Slot's side remain winless in the league this year, having only scored five goals in five matches, and now face an uphill battle to stay in contention for the Champions League spots after being overtaken by Manchester United and Chelsea in the table.

Both Brentford and Fulham have managed as many wins as Liverpool overall (10). Slot's excuses for such a record (the latest of which was the wind at Bournemouth) only serve to further eradicate the credit banked during last season's title-winning campaign. The Dutchman is now in the thick of the crossfire.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Jamie Carragher believes it could be Champions League qualification or bust for Liverpool boss Arne Slot should they not qualify for the Champions League

Failure to beat Newcastle at the weekend, after hosting Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday, would represent Liverpool's worst start to a calendar year since 1954 - the last year in which they were relegated.

Here is an analysis of the most glaring issues as the defending champions strain to keep pace with the top five.

Low block failure

"What we're seeing is a team that's not suited to the Premier League," said Jamie Carragher on Monday Night Football, referencing Liverpool's inability to break down teams who bank up by packing defences and squeezing the space.

While Bournemouth, seemingly undeterred by the south coast winds, created 2.35 worth of xG value at the weekend, Liverpool offered just 0.93 - their largest net deficit in any competition since beating PSG in France back in March. And Bournemouth are not even a side who tend to defend low.

What once was the best attacking force in the league has morphed into one of the easiest to nullify. Slot's version of control has Liverpool playing at a pedestrian pace, much simpler to contain, and far easier to predict. Dialling down the tempo of attacks has severely hampered big chance creation and shot quality (0.9), which has dipped below the league's average (0.10).

Developing from deep in the build-up phase only works if there is movement in front; a way to dislodge opposition sides from their shape. And yet Liverpool have far fewer disruptor types in order to make this style work. The likes of Luis Diaz and the late Diogo Jota ran at defences in ways that created gaps for others to exploit. It drew teams out.

This version, far more methodical, does not have the same magnetic energy. Liverpool have gone from the team who generated the most accurate switches of play across last season to now one of the least. Mohamed Salah's drop-off is another unfortunate by-product of that fact and fewer goals all round is the end result.

Lack of counter threat

And if the pace is slower, it inevitably means the cut through is less effective. Liverpool used to go from back to front in the blink of an eye and they had a myriad of ways of doing it. Crucially, though, what bound the strategy together was that everything was done with urgency.

How can a side who ranks top for chances created (278) equally place ninth for shots on target (99)? Liverpool are arriving in the final third, just without the intensity or numbers needed to convert a chance into anything meaningful.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz are the only two players in the league to complete over 400 final third passes and yet the goals for column is 21 lighter than it was at this stage last season. Creatively, Liverpool are stumped.

Fast breaks used to be a pillar of identity. They scored a league-high 14 times via that method last season. This year that tally stands at just three.

And where has the press disappeared to? Using possessions won in the attacking third as a measure (85), Liverpool's ability - or willingness - to press is less co-ordinated than Tottenham's, Everton's and Leeds', among seven others.

Set-piece seriousness

Liverpool's set-piece record at both ends of the pitch is bordering silly. No team has conceded more times from a throw-in (five). Overall, only Bournemouth (17) have conceded more goals from set-pieces (excluding penalties) than Liverpool's 14.

"This team are not equipped for Premier League football," reemphasised Carragher when discussing the topic on MNF. The numbers here are stark and have been all season, leading Liverpool to sack their set-piece coach earlier this month.

Each of Bournemouth's three goals from the weekend, in fact, exposed a specific and systematic weakness:

Goal 1: Vulnerable to simple ball over the top
Goal 2: Exposure down the weaker left side
Goal 3: Susceptible to a basic long throw

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Evanilson capitalises on some slack Liverpool defending to fire Bournemouth in front at the Vitality Stadium

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Alex Jimenez doubles Bournemouth's lead over Liverpool with his first Premier League goal

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Amine Adil snatched the most dramatic win for Bournemouth over Liverpool

Andoni Iraola had done his homework. Amine Adli's stoppage-time winner is the third time this season that Liverpool have lost a game after the 90-minute mark. Never before has that happened in a single campaign.

Anfield anguish

Games at Anfield used to be bankers for Liverpool. The unique history, the intimidating atmosphere, the thrill of the football all played their part simultaneously. Of course much of that still exists but seems to be buried beneath a cloud of uncertainty.

Since beating Bournemouth 4-2 on the opening weekend, Liverpool haven't scored more than twice in any of their last 10 home games.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Gary Neville thinks Liverpool have gone soft both in attack and defence, and warns they'll lose the credit they earned last season if results don’t improve

They're averaging just 1.45 goals per game at Anfield this term, their lowest in a campaign since 2011/12 (1.26), while points per game places them 10th in the home form table.

With five games at Anfield between now and the end of February, including meetings with Newcastle and Manchester City, the situation may actually worsen before it improves.

But there is still talent - and hope

For all the ignominy of the above, Liverpool still have the talent needed to finish inside the top four or five places. Slot's arrangement of that talent must be more enticing to achieve it.

And the tactical nous used to see out games must also improve - when Liverpool have conceded a second-half equaliser, they have gone on to lose four times this season. The Premier League average is 0.9.

£450m worth of talent came through the door last summer, yielding the biggest wage bill of any side in the top-flight. Ordinarily, albeit not always, that equates to success. For Slot it has equalled mediocrity.

Time to wise up, or the Dutchman risks losing more than just the next football match.

Follow coverage of Liverpool vs Newcastle this Saturday in our dedicated live blog from 6.30pm; kick-off 8pm. Full highlights available shortly after the game.

Adblock test (Why?)

Arne Slot has admitted Liverpool must improve their play at both ends of the pitch if they want to put a stop to recent criticism.

The reigning champions have lacked firepower in front of goal this season, and become leakier at the back as they sit 14 points off leaders Arsenal in the Premier League back in sixth place.

While things look more promising in Europe, with the Reds sitting fourth in the Champions League standings ahead of their final league match against Qarabag on Wednesday, Slot has pinpointed an 'imbalance' between the chances they create from good positions compared to those created against them which is a cause for concern.

"It's going to be really difficult to quieten the outside noise with the position we are in," Slot said in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game at Anfield.

"Every loss or disappointing result will start the noise coming back again.

"That's what you can expect when we have moments with so many losses. It's impossible to shut out the noise if you are not competing for the league.

Image: Arne Slot has admitted Liverpool have not created enough in attack when getting into good positions

"For me, it's so simple. In between the boxes we are a very good team. Also, against Bournemouth, so many times we were in positions I want my players to be in.

"But killing those moments. Bringing it from promising positions to creating chances. If we have the chances, then be clinical and finish it off. That is something we have to improve.

"In the other box, other teams arrive there three or four times a game. Too many times when they arrive there it leads to chances or goals. There is a complete imbalance in the amount of times we arrive in the box and the times other teams arrive there. But there isn't an inbalance in the number of goals that are being scored. That's a really bad cocktail.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Following Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth, Virgil van Dijk takes responsibility for Bournemouth's first goal.

"If we can improve in both boxes it can be a special season. If we can only improve in one box, then it's going to be probably an acceptable season. If we can't improve in either box, there's going to be a lot of noise."

Carragher: Slot's job at risk without Champions League football

Jamie Carragher speaking on Monday Night Football:

"If you don't qualify for the Champions League, having won the league the season before and spent as much as Liverpool, I don't think you've got a leg to stand on.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Jamie Carragher believes it could be Champions League qualification or bust for Liverpool boss Arne Slot should they not qualify for the Champions League.

"The real worry I have for Liverpool in terms of qualifying for the Champions League is the three big things that stand out in the Premier League now are set-pieces, counter-attacking football and coming up against low blocks.

"Liverpool can't cope with any of them. What we're seeing is a team in the Premier League that's not suited to the Premier League.

"Once you start seeing what Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the last couple of weeks, you start seeing that Liverpool could actually finish outside the Champions League positions. I really fear for them.

"Once you start fearing Champions League qualification for next season, that's when I think we've got a completely different proposition when we're talking about the manager's job. That, for me, is completely different.

"If we're talking about not winning the league or challenging for the league, that is a collective responsibility, and Liverpool don't win the league every year.

"Not making the Champions League from [being] champions, spending £450m and having the highest wage bill in the Premier League, which is normally the biggest determining factor over where you finish in the league, I think you've got serious questions to ask."

Slot: Reality is Liverpool have not won much in last three years

While Slot did understand the need for Liverpool to be competing at the top, he defended their current struggles by saying that the reality is that the club have not dominated in major competitions in recent years.

"When you are Liverpool, the aim is to win the league. But we have only done this twice in the last 30 years," he added.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Gary Neville thinks Liverpool have gone soft both in attack and defence, and warns they'll lose the credit they earned last season if results don’t improve.

"We want to be competitive in every single competition we are in but the reality is in the last three years we have won one League Cup and one Premier League title.

"A lot has been said about the £450m we've spent and not about the £300m we've brought in. So, I have my opinion about what is acceptable, but I'm not going to share that."

Adblock test (Why?)

Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly been told that he is free to seek out a move after less than a year at Real Madrid, with his long-term future now up in the air

Former Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly been told that he is free to seek out a move after less than a year at Real Madrid, with his long-term future now up in the air

Live coverage of the Liverpool press conference from Anfield to preview the Champions League clash at home to Qarabag on Wednesday

Live coverage of the Liverpool press conference from Anfield to preview the Champions League clash at home to Qarabag on Wednesday

The possible moves Liverpool can consider after Mohamed Salah's public fallout with Arne Slot and transfer interest from abroad

The possible moves Liverpool can consider after Mohamed Salah's public fallout with Arne Slot and transfer interest from abroad

As Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to endure a difficult campaign at Real Madrid, talks of a reunion with one Liverpool colleague are reportedly intensifying

As Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to endure a difficult campaign at Real Madrid, talks of a reunion with one Liverpool colleague are reportedly intensifying

Ian Doyle reports from the AXA Training Centre, where Liverpool held an open training session to the media on Tuesday lunchtime ahead of the Champions League game against Qarabag on Wednesday evening