Liverpool fell to yet another defeat on Saturday night as Brentford inflicted the Reds 4th league defeat in-a-row.
It was a familiar feeling during the game with all the same symptoms of poor performances being shown once again.
A lack of drive in possession and clumsy defending all led to the three Brentford goals. As we start to enter the busy winter period with all competitions still in play for Liverpool something needs to change very quickly for the team.
Secure the Defence and Build from There
One of the most prominent and talked about issues is the defensive frailties this team have had so far this season.
Liverpool have the 4th worst expected goals against in the Premier League this season, with 15.48 xGA.
Only Nott’m Forest, Burnley and West Ham have worse xGA. What it comes down to is the balance of the defence and the team as a whole.
It was Kerkez and Bradley deployed in the full back areas against Brentford and both had fairly poor performances, despite both being directly involved in the first goal for LFC.
We have seen it throughout the season that both full back areas have been targeted and often beaten, there does not seem to be any balance in the two sides.
That is why Slot must react now and bring in a more conservative mindset for the two full backs, whoever is playing in the positions.
This could mean that Andy Robertson comes in for a few games or it could involve rejigging the shape of the team in possession, ‘when one goes the other stays’. This may allow for more overloads in the wide areas but defensively will offer more balance for the team in transition.
Another aspect of the defence that could or should be changed is the players in the midfield pivot.
Bringing in Wataru Endo could help to shield the back line and offer a more natural deep lying midfielder, just until Gravenberch is back and fully fit.
This change plays into the transitional problems the team are having, the fluid play we saw last season is not there yet and with a lack of defensive cover in midfield and out wide, defensive transitions are extremely dangerous for this team, something that Wataru Endo can come in and offer help with.
Alongside a Szoboszlai or Mac Allister, who can bring a level of control for the midfield, it should bring a defensive structure that will help with the team’s most glaring issue.
Attacking Problems
Throughout the summer the most talked about area was the attacking reinforcements, with Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike all joining the club to form one of the most formidable attacking lineups in Europe… on paper.
Wirtz and Isak are yet to hit top gear and with Ekitike in and out of the starting XI it has been a rough start to the season for Liverpool’s strongest area. Alongside the problems the new boys are having, established stars are failing to offer any help.
Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah have been the two top scorers under Arne Slot, with 20+ goals for both wingers.
However, the two of them have been below par all season. Both players look far too predictable on the ball and Salah especially has been not far from amateur with the ball at his feet, loose touches, poor decision making and woeful finishing all combining to contribute to Slot dropping him against Frankfurt.
This is something Slot must look to do more often, Gakpo and Salah can both pop up with a goal in bad performances, but more likely than not this season this doesn’t happen and the two of them get away with poor play.
Slot has to send a message that no one is undroppable or bigger than the team. During the week we saw that Salah had a bit of a tantrum with his social media changes, this cannot be acceptable and should be dealt with accordingly.
Players like, Chiesa, Ekitike and Wirtz are constantly looking to get on the ball and be dynamic, something that cannot always be said about Gakpo and Salah.
Build-up Play
Slot’s Liverpool is known to use third-man combinations, bounce passes, and vertical passing to break lines, a style in which Florian Wirtz is an expert in.
The German playmaker has the similar style to Thiago, looking to play the pass early and quick to catch the other team lacking.
This playstyle has not been used enough during the start to this season, often times the possession is slow and calculated, with the calculations often coming up wrong in this case.
On more than one occasions in the game against Brentford there were to many runs from deep in behind the backline ignored for a more safe pass out wide or centrally.
These runs came from Wirtz, Ekitike and on more than one occasion Conor Bradley made good runs that were flat out ignored. Whether this has been an instruction from the manager or the players still don’t have that faith in each other, this direct play is what made Slot’s Liverpool from last year so dangerous.
In possession the 4-2-4 offers overloads and space in between midfield and defence, on the other hand, this formation has clearly become an easy read for opposition managers, more flexibility with this formation could generate more confusion and chances for the team as a whole. If that involves rotating positions or different players, it remains to be seen but may offer Slot a way out of this rut.
There are plenty of problems for Arne Slot to fix in the coming weeks, some bigger than others, and the way I have laid out this article indicates the concern level I have, the defence is the biggest issue to fix and looking at that first is a must for Slot and his coaching staff, building forward from there feels as if it is the most logical and important step to take.
From there it is all about the new players and embedding them with the settled starters and stars of this team.