Winger is “the hardest position to play” in modern football, according to Arne Slot, and Liverpool’s wide men would find it hard to disagree. A lot of Liverpool’s problems this season can be attributed to their attacking flair being stifled, leaving the champions 19 points adrift of Premier League leaders, Arsenal.

Liverpool return to Molineux on Friday, three days after a stoppage-time defeat by Wolves in the league. The FA Cup fifth-round fixture will be an opportunity for Slot to test his bullpen of wingers and see whether they can do better. Liverpool have scored 48 goals in 29 league matches, the average of 1.66 a game a long way short of the 2.26 when winning last season’s title.

Mohamed Salah has been the focus of analysis because his statistics have tumbled, going from leading the charge to someone fighting to get into the team. The Egyptian had 47 goal involvements last season, when he often made the difference in tight matches, compared with 11 this season. He is underperforming on his xG of 6.53, having scored five times, and his strike against Wolves was a first in 11 league games.

Slot and his players are often greeted...