I credit Jurgen Klopp with my evolution from casual Liverpool fan to obsessive lunatic. Belief is a big part of that.
While I never cared for the "mentality monsters" nickname he gave his side (maybe it's the alliteration — it just comes off cheesy), I was all in on its meaning, which was well-earned over seasons of gutsy performances, imposed dominance, and late ecstasy.
When you're Liverpool, you know you're never out of it. And even if you lose, you never accept defeat until the full-time whistle.
The script has flipped. This Liverpool squad is threadbare, full of unfit, underperforming players, but their greatest issue is that they're soft. Everyone can tell when they're beaten before they're actually beaten.
The last-gasp losses are piling up.
Ironically, Liverpool couldn't stop winning games late to start the season. The clinching goals in their first five contests — victories over Bournemouth, Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley, and Atletico Madrid — came in the 88th minute, 100th minute, 83rd minute, 95th minute, and 92nd minute, respectively.
Liverpool didn't play well over those five games, though. In three of them, they surrendered a two-goal lead. They were getting over the line, which showed mental resolve, but they looked too open and prone to mistakes at the back. They struggled with set pieces and long balls. They were predictable in possession.
The bad habits and uninspired play caught up with them. First the confidence creaked, then it splintered. Late wins became late losses, which led to more late losses.
Saturday, Bournemouth's Amine Adli scored the winner in the 95th minute. It marked the fifth time Liverpool have dropped points deep in stoppage time this season.
- September 27, at Crystal Palace: Eddie Nketiah following a long throw. 97th minute. Liverpool lost.
- October 4, at Chelsea: Estevao at the back post. 96th minute. Liverpool lost.
- December 6, at Leeds: Ao Tanaka from a corner. 96th minute. Liverpool drew.
- January 4, at Fulham: No one closes down Harrison Reed, who scores a worldie. 97th minute. Liverpool drew.
- January 24, at Bournemouth: Adli following a long throw. 95th minute. Liverpool lost.
That doesn't even include Harry Maguire's 84th-minute winner at Anfield from the second phase of a corner. Liverpool lost.
Now shipping a late goal has become a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially when the opposition has the chance to launch the ball in Alisson's box from a set piece. Don't concede, don't concede, don't concede, the fans, Arne Slot, and the players themselves think in unison. And they always do.
My friend, an Arsenal fan, texted me Saturday about the trend.
"It's the least Liverpool thing ever," he remarked. "They are usually very good at getting a late winner."
Well, the mentality monsters have become mentality midgets. How's that for alliteration?
Liverpool went 13 games unbeaten, but never turned the corner.
Conceding late winners is just one symptom of a fragile team.
Though Arne Slot was able to stem the bleeding from a horrible October-through-November run by implementing a risk-averse style, the team continued to wilt at the first signs of adversity. That has resulted in inconsistency and nowhere near enough points, even if the losses stopped momentarily.
How's this for a roller coaster?
- Liverpool followed up a professional 0-2 win at West Ham with two draws against newly promoted sides. First, a comatose home stalemate versus Sunderland. Second, a capitulation at Leeds — one Ibou Konate mistake was all it took.
- The four-game December win streak that came next, including victories over Inter, Brighton, Tottenham, and Wolves, wasn't without its nervous moments. Liverpool conspired to throw away a two-goal lead against Spurs and Wolves after conceding from set pieces. Still, the results felt like something to build on.
- They weren't. The Reds promptly dropped a home clunker versus Leeds. After Cody Gakpo seemed to have bagged a stoppage-time winner at Fulham, the Reds conceded an equalizer just three minutes later.
- Did they keep the momentum from an impressive display away at Arsenal, the title favorites? Only if that's what you'd call a mistake-riddled FA Cup win over League One Barnsley and a home draw with Burnley.
- I allowed myself to be encouraged by the midweek win at Marseille — a showcase of intense pressing and free-flowing attacks, the best we'd played in months We're better against the teams who play an open style, the Slot explained. Kind of like Bournemouth, who was next on the schedule.
We all saw how that went. An embarrassment with all the hallmarks of a 25/26 Liverpool loss. Individual errors. Giving up a goal from the first chance conceded, then immediately letting one goal become two. Nowhere near enough quality on the bench. Losing the game in the last second, again. From a long throw, again.
Leading up to Saturday, Bournemouth had won one of their last 14 in all comps.
Who's to blame?
It's not exactly the most interesting take, but the three major parties who have the most to do with the first team's success — the players, the staff, and the recruitment team — are culpable in pretty equal measure.
The mistakes and poor decisions these players continue to make out of the blue (nicely summed up by Virgil van Dijk nonchalantly flicking his leg to clear the ball which resulted in the opener, then gesturing as though it wasn't his fault) can't be aimed at Arne Slot. He can't put on a red jersey and clear Bournemouth's long throw in the 95th minute, or deal with the ball at the near post as Alisson Becker should have.
What can be aimed at Arne Slot is the attitude and readiness of the players. I'd argue that this season, he's been more underwhelming in this department than he has been with his tactics. Liverpool simply doesn't exude confidence. He's the leader. It's his job to make the group not only play like more than the sum of their parts, but feel like more than the sum of their parts.
Lastly, I think Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have been nothing short of a disgrace. They couldn't have predicted the season-ending injuries the squad has endured, but the squad was light to begin with, especially in attack and at center back. Seeing Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in Manchester City blue is nauseating. The lack of signings signals they're happy enough to shrug this season off — and let Slot take all the heat until they decide to invest again.
When injury-prone Joe Gomez got injured Saturday, the staff was so baffled by who to bring on that Liverpool played a man down and conceded another goal before making a sub. The eventual solution was Wataru Endo.
Enough said.