With four straight league defeats, we’re witnessing an unfamiliar Liverpool—though if you think back to the awkward time between Fernando Torres and Luis Suarez’s era at Anfield, there's some familiarity here too.
Although Liverpool made many significant signings that ecstatically thrilled Kopites, I viewed this more as a concern before the season started: Players are massive, but can Liverpool really adapt to them quickly? Is the packed frontline a problem?
And that's why we say the Premier League is the best in the world. Given the short timeframe for chemistry-building, Liverpool are facing real trouble.
What's Gone Wrong?
Liverpool suffered their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat on Saturday, losing 3-2 at Brentford. It's the first time since 2021 that Liverpool have lost four successive league games, and they now sit sixth in the table on 15 points, four points behind leaders Arsenal.
Arne Slot is having a terrible second season at Liverpool so far. No clear style of play, losing second balls, conceding from defensive set pieces, and showing favoritism toward certain out-of-form players over those in form—nothing is going his way.
A transitional period was always going to happen when integrating so many new players into the squad.
But that period will just drag on until he lets his best players play together and build some chemistry.
Control Without Conviction
Liverpool keeps the ball well, averaging over 60% possession in recent games. But the xG-to-goal conversion rate has dropped.
They're creating chances but not finishing them. Too many wide overloads, not enough central runs. The build-up is slow, which allows defenses to reset.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch are both technical, but neither is a true defensive anchor. When Liverpool loses the ball high, opponents are breaking through the middle before the press resets.
Against Manchester United, the visitors had only 16 touches in the box yet scored twice.
Mohamed Salah's output is far lower production than last season, and there's less dynamism on the left flank.
The relationship between him and Slot became seemingly tense after he was benched in the Frankfurt match that Liverpool won 5-1. Later, Salah removed Liverpool marks from his social media.
I don't blame Salah too much for his decision-making later in the Frankfurt game. He had a big chance to square the ball to Wirtz, who was wide open for an easy tap-in that could've made it 6-1.
Both needed a goal for a confidence booster. Salah was just more urgent to have one. But he couldn't nail it.
The question now is massively tough: Will Slot have to bench Salah more this year?
After a few close defeats, players are taking extra touches. Wingers hesitate. Midfielders play safe passes. The tempo drops, and Liverpool's expected threat from possession has fallen even when xG looks healthy.
The 4-2-3-1 setup may not suit this team. Szoboszlai is better at pressing and breaking, not waiting higher up. Gakpo and Salah are narrower, making attacks predictable.
Against Frankfurt, Liverpool capitalized on a 4-4-2 (more like a 4-2-2-2) formation in their 5-1 triumph. The Reds looked more comfortable with more shots on target that covered five goals. Do they have to get back to this form in the Premier League?
Four straight losses despite good data suggest a rhythm problem, not a collapse. Liverpool are controlling games but not the moments that decide them.
Defensive Collapse
The problem already showed itself earlier this season. Though Liverpool won early, they really needed to rely on late-game heroics.
The Reds have only secured two clean sheets so far. They haven't kept a clean sheet for nine matches.
Liverpool have now lost as many Premier League games this season (four) as they did in the entirety of last campaign.
Against the offensive struggle, I believe Slot focused too much on the attacking side. To situate Wirtz well, Szoboszlai moved from the position where he always energized the whole squad.
Now the Hungarian international has had to adapt to a new role on the defensive side. It went well initially, but it's not gonna work long-term.
His slight frame and limited defensive experience will cost the team one day, though he's putting in effort.
As we saw in the 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray on Sept. 30, his foul gave the Turkish side a game-winning penalty. But if you know ball, you're not gonna blame him for this.
How Long Must Liverpool Wait?
After the defeat to Brentford, Slot said adapting new players was a factor that resulted in Liverpool's four straight losses in the league. It might be a season-long project to reinstall the system with new signings.
Wirtz has shown some flashes, but the question is how to situate him and find his Bundesliga form. He's good with the ball and has agility moves, but lacks physicality when facing defenders.
So Slot has to think about opting for Wirtz to play on the wings, which can partially avoid contact.
Giving Wirtz a role as a facilitator to connect the full pitch could be ideal for all parties.
I'm relatively optimistic about Alexander Isak and, of course, Hugo Ekitike, who immediately impacted the match and tapped in easily in the Premier League.
Frimpong should be fine. But given the defensive leakage Liverpool has for now, will Slot continue to put two wing-backs running back-and-forth to participate in offense more?
We Just Need More Patience
Liverpool was always the team that needed patience to rebuild. No matter working on clawing back from the bottom or pondering many new faces from transfers, you just need patience to see how it takes time from seed to blossom. Whether you're the club affiliate or a Kopite.
Success won't come immediately after significant transfers. Think about how long former manager Jurgen Klopp took to build up his system while remaining unknown if he could finally get the winning formula.
Without time and effort, we never would've seen the frontline featuring Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino become a groundbreaking thing in the football world. That eventually brought Liverpool their long-sought Premier League and Champions League titles.
This time comes to Arne Slot, who tackled his first major challenge of taking over Klopp's tenure by winning his first Premier League title for Liverpool in his inaugural year.
Though the early success built confidence for Liverpool to repeat this year or even build further in Europe, things aren't going right with many transfers and expectations flowing in.
But those make sense.
The club needs time. Slot overcame such situations in the Netherlands when he worked with Feyenoord, which was refreshed with many signings that summer. It also held a similar script with early-on sufferings but good results at the end.
The trait of managing challenges and adapting to changes was what Richard Hughes believed made Slot Klopp's worthy successor.
Slot managed well with what Klopp left. He went through last season well with a title. He built the credibility that we could trust. So why not trust further and give more patience?
It's just nine matches into the season. Everything is possible. But what Slot must ponder is what costs and sacrifices to make to at least keep Liverpool from derailing completely.