Liverpool Football Club finds itself in a precarious position following a dismal performance, resulting in their sixth loss in seven matches. This shocking streak has increased the pressure on head coach Arne Slot and his team. As they fight their way back to the performances that once saw them crowned title contenders. The beginnings of that losing streak had come at Selhurst Park. This has created concern over how strategic their approaches are and how well the team is collaborating.
As readers of these pages know, this season has been particularly bad for Liverpool. They’ve equalised the four Premier League losses they recorded over the course of their entire, title-winning season. The squad’s inability to adjust to varying game states and contexts has left both fans and analysts nervous.
Defensive Woes and Tactical Issues
Particularly against defensive teams — Slot’s PSV have set defensive records for how frequently they’ve been sliced open this season. They lead the league in expected goals (xG) from counter attacks, giving up a whopping 1.62 xG from fast breaks. This drastically exposes weaknesses in their defensive (or medium) posture. Liverpool’s had their own issues on set-pieces, having given up seven goals. This has placed them in the bottom three of almost every statistical category, ahead of only Nottingham Forest and West Ham.
Liverpool have conceded three goals in each of their last four league matches. Not only is such a trend wholly unworthy of a city on the rise, it portends significant resilience risk at the rear. His team has not registered a clean sheet in six weeks, their last coming against Burnley.
“We haven’t found that answer yet,” – Arne Slot
It was a worrying admission and a telling indication of the ongoing troubles Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool have in rectifying these defensive lapses. Additionally, he noted, “Too many duels were lost, too many second balls weren’t won.” This season, the team has been characterized by an infuriating passivity. This comes in complete opposition to their well-known gegenpressing approach during Jurgen Klopp’s time as manager.
Struggles in Attack and Performance Metrics
Liverpool spent big on splashing high-profile attacking talent across the pitch over their summer. Those efforts have produced zero results on the pitch. The club finds itself with as many Premier League points as freshly promoted Sunderland. That’s shocking enough in and of itself, considering they’ve played four games more already since clinching last year’s crown.
The team’s goal difference is the most shocking stat, they only have a worse goal difference than Sunderland at the moment. Unlike in previous seasons, key players such as Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate frequently collapse toward their own goal. This constrains their ability to help launch a successful counterattack, creating an even bigger problem.
Florian Wirtz has struggled significantly this season, recording the second lowest success rate in duels (33 percent) among Liverpool players. The team’s issues mostly come from their inability to compete in one-on-one matchups. This underscores the critical importance of enhancing both personal capacity and collective capacity as teams.
Increasing Pressure on Arne Slot
And now as Liverpool are spiralling down the league, the spotlight focuses on Arne Slot to find a way out of this horrible crisis. The team’s recent performances have prompted discussions about tactical adjustments and potential changes to the starting lineup. The club’s management may need to consider whether to provide Slot with more time to implement his vision or seek alternative leadership.
The next few games represent a defining period for Slot and his men. Liverpool will well and truly have their work cut out if they are to return to winning ways and challenge truly in the league once more. Yet it is the club’s deep history and past successes that breed such lofty expectations. When the outcomes of this big bet come up short, players and coaching staff will be under a lot more pressure.
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