Arne Slot has lamented Liverpool’s form as “ridiculous” and “unbelievable” as he looks to put a stop to the club’s bleak defensive troubles.
Liverpool have lost eight of their last 11 games in all competitions, the latest coming on Saturday as struggling Nottingham Forest romped to a 3-0 win at Anfield - the joint-heaviest home defeat the Reds have ever recorded in the Premier League.
It was the second consecutive game Liverpool had lost by that margin - the first time that’s happened since April 1965 - with the defensive vulnerability of Slot’s side glaring for all to see.
Slot struggles to comprehend Liverpool’s shortfalls at the back but has insisted that adversity is only bringing his players together.
“It is ridiculous, it is unbelievable,” he said ahead of Wednesday’s visit of PSV in the Champions League. “I have said many times you will never find enough excuses for us to perform like this. It's unexpected for the club, for me for everyone.
"But this is maybe the best club to face it, the harder it gets at this club, the more we are together.”
Slot added: “We are conceding more goals than last season. This time last season we conceded zero set-pieces now it is nine. The number of goals is close to ridiculous for a club like us.”
Just as he did after the Forest result, Slot maintains he takes full responsibility for Liverpool’s dramatic downward spiral, even admitting a sense of guilt at the club’s current state, now in the bottom half of the league table with a negative goal difference.
“I take the responsibility, I feel guilty for it,” Slot said. “We are busy working on it, I'm at the club where we aren't just used to being successful but also times when we aren't.
“We are going to give extra effort. As a manager I try to lead by example and try even harder.”
Despite spending a record £450m in the summer, Liverpool have felt the consequences of not investing adequately in the heart of their back-line.
After their deadline day move for Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi fell through, Liverpool’s only centre-back acquisition was 18-year-old Italian Giovanni Leoni - who in a moment of terrible misfortune suffered a season-ending knee injury in his debut for the club.
With Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong not yet back in training, Liverpool are now faced with a crisis at right-back, with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai required to drop back from midfield to fill the void.
Joe Gomez - one of Liverpool’s three remaining fit senior centre-backs - could also operate at right-back and while he will be in the squad for tomorrow’s clash with Eredivisie leaders PSV, Slot confirmed that the injury-maligned Englishman has also been dealing with a fitness issue of late.
“Normally I wouldn't go into detail but last week but he had an injection last week on his knee,” he said. “That's not normal if you don't feel anything.
"He will be with the group tomorrow as he was on Saturday. Apart from me making the decision to play Dom or someone else, he’s not been completely fit. He’s in the squad tomorrow but he’s not been completely fit. He's trained every time."
