It's been a tumultuous season for Liverpool, in what was supposed to be the launching point of a fresh generation of dominance.
Saturday's miserable FA Cup exit via a Manchester City drubbing in which the Citizens never had to get out of second gear, is only the latest catastrophe the club has endured in this shocking campaign.
While some of what we have seen can be explained by fitness issues and lack of cohesion amongst the new signings, most of the blame falls on Arne Slot and his players on the pitch.
The Reds look toothless more often than not, and the fighting spirit that has defined this club is simply nonexistent at this moment in time.
Against that backdrop, today we are going to highlight four players in particular that have not come close to matching the expectations anyone had for them coming into the season. While there are more than these players not up to par, these four have been extra frustrating to watch.
Virgil van Dijk
Our leader and stalwart, the Dutchman has been far from his elite best this season. While a lot of eyes have been on others, van Dijk has been much more volatile than we have ever seen him at Anfield.
He has now conceded four penalties this season alone, which is as many as the rest of his Liverpool combined. That is a shocking statistic on its own, but coupled with sporadic mental lapses, decreased passing range, and more, the Netherlands captain has not been able to lead by example.
His typically excellent reading of the game has allowed him to be in the right position nearly every time in years gone by, but this season he has just been a half step or half second, slow in reading things.
On top of that, he was never the paciest central defender in the world, he has now lost an extra step it appears, as his recovery skills have slightly diminished.
On his day, he is still one of the best defenders in Europe, but it's hard not to argue his days as the world's best are nearly done on a consistent basis.
Alexis Mac Allister
This one might be even more frustrating for Liverpool fans and pundits, as Macca is right in the prime of his career. He should be one of the Reds' leading talisman this season, much in the way we have seen from Dominik Szoboszlai for large stretches.
The Argentine has looked lost, and not entirely sure of what his role really is this season. The addition of Florian Wirtz into the fold took away the No. 10 spot that Mac Allister thrived in several times.
We already know he's not a true defensive midfielder, and his box-to-box abilities have left a lot to be desired throughout the campaign. That does not give a player many options to impact games.
He has lacked the usual bite we see in his tackles, while his aggresssion to move the ball forward whenever he can has become far more erratic, which in turn has hampered the forwards and himself.
There are many matches where he simply ghosts through, and at the end, you are shocked to learn he played 78 minutes. He can still turn things around this season and long-term, but for now, he's been a big letdown.
Cody Gakpo
Another player that has regressed from the title winning campaign, Gakpo has become the most one-dimensional attacker in England these days.
If he is not able to cut inside on his right foot and unleash a shot, I'm fairly certain he would have no idea what he is supposed to be doing with the ball at his feet. Everything he does on the ball is to set that sequence up.
Unlike a previous great Dutch winger, Arjen Robben, Cody's movmement and shot are not nearly as unstoppable as the former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich man.
As a result, watching him blast a shot off the defender in front of him or seeing him skew his effort have become commonplace in 2025/26.
He has never been elite at tracking back, but now with no offensive output, he also ghosts through matches just like Macca.
Rio Ngumoha is a more consistent threat on the wing at 17-years old, but Slot has not yet committed to that idea. When he does, Gakpo may not regularly start again for awhile.
Ibrahima Konate
You would think a player that was being courted by Real Madrid while discussing a contract extension with the reigning Premier League champions would be operating at peak levels.
However, that has been far from the case for the powerful Frenchman who has shown a match-to-match volatility that perfectly reflects what we have seen form Liverpool all season long.
Seen by many as the future of the defense once Virgil moved on, Ibou has not taken the steps we would have wanted to see. His decision making has been poor more often than not, and his ball distribution has left a lot to be desired.
His form has been so patchy, that when he is off, his physical gifts like pace and power, have not been enough to overcome his technical and tactical detriments.
Saturday, he could do nothing with Erling Haaland and that has been the case in a lot of big matches where he no longer can dominate strong forwards over a full 90.
We've seen some strong performances, which gives some hope of a turnaround, but it also just amplifies the frustration when he comes in with mediocre efforts, which have shown up far too much.