Arne Slot endured a rosy debut campaign with Liverpool, but second-season syndrome has floored the Dutchman.
There was an assumption that Liverpool’s colossal summer spend would make them invincible in their bid to defend their Premier League crown and add further silverware to the cabinet, but, as has been proven repeatedly in modern football, expensive signings do not equate to immediate success.
Liverpool currently find themselves in crisis after five defeats from six matches and four consecutive Premier League losses. Bad fortune has played no part in the Reds’ downward spiral, with their performances simply unacceptable and smacking of complacency.
Liverpool must turn the corner swiftly to ensure an early season wobble doesn’t decimate their entire campaign, with pressure rising on Slot to remedy the lengthy list of issues on Merseyside.
Here are four fires Slot must put out in the coming weeks.
Disastrous Defence
Liverpool’s glaring weakness has quite obviously been their defence this season. Sure, their star-studded forward line has failed to deliver on occasion, but it’s primarily the underperformance of their rearguard that has resulted in their disastrous drop-off in performances and results from last term’s title winners.
There have been a number of contributing factors: Alisson’s latest hamstring injury, Ibrahima Konaté’s implosion, uncertainty in the full back areas and a lack of depth at centre back. Liverpool have been alarmingly porous as a result, keeping just two clean sheets in all competitions this season and just five since March.
Their ability to overpower opposition and penchant for late goals ensured a winning start to the season, but their attacking firepower has been unable to bail out a leaky defence in recent weeks. They have been regularly undone by teams willing to attack with speed and power, especially on the counter attack, as evidenced in recent losses to Manchester United and Brentford.
Liverpool kept more clean sheets than any other side in the Premier League last season and Slot was lauded for his ability to control matches. A more measured approach was attributed to an increased resilience at the back, but the addition of two remarkably attacking full backs and employment of a more offence-first strategy has seen the Reds torn to pieces.
Slot simply can’t afford to keep things the way they are, with changes required to bolster the rearguard. Liverpool have to go back to basics, defending in numbers and with uninterrupted focus. Certain individuals also need to up their game to help the Reds stop the rot.
Alexis Mac Allister’s Malaise
Ryan Gravenberch understandably stole the plaudits last season following his stunning transformation into an all-action defensive midfielder, but Liverpool still relied on Alexis Mac Allister to dictate the tempo in the centre of the pitch. The Argentine is a masterful conductor and orchestrates the Reds’ attacking patterns with precision, seldom surrendering possession due to his incredible control and distribution.
Mac Allister is also surprisingly combative in the defensive third. He bites into tackles, reads danger and screens the back four effectively alongside Gravenberch. But Liverpool have lost their ace in the pack this season due to a mixture of injury, a lack of match fitness and some questionable form.
Like many of his previously invincible teammates, Mac Allister has been operating far below his best this term. Availability has been an issue following injury issues at the end of last term and the beginning of pre-season, with the Argentine having been unable to rediscover his mojo. He’s appeared in 12 matches for Liverpool in all competitions, but has only lasted over 70 minutes on two occasions.
Mac Allister’s stuttering start to the season has been one of the reasons behind Liverpool’s sluggish performances and defensive openness. With Gravenberch also struggling with injury lately, a midfield double pivot of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai has unsurprisingly been unable to provide the necessary protection in the engine room.
Liverpool need Mac Allister back at his masterful best—and soon.
The Mohamed Salah Conundrum
Mohamed Salah was the catalyst behind Slot’s incredible debut season. The Egyptian enjoyed the most creative campaign of his career with 23 assists and his second-most prolific as he found the net on 34 occasions in all competitions. He was, rather unsurprisingly, named the 2024–25 Premier League Player of the Season.
Salah was rewarded for his stellar performances with a new two-year contract that put an end to speculation over an Anfield exit, but the 33-year-old’s performances have nosedived since putting pen to paper. Seven goal contributions this season is somewhat misleading, with his performances having been miles below his usual standard.
The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold has certainly reduced Salah’s impact, with the duo dovetailing impressively when sharing the right wing, but the basic errors the veteran is making cannot be excused by a change of approach or personnel this term.
Salah has been uncharacteristically sloppy in possession. The forward’s touch has been sub-par, his distribution predictable and uninspiring, and his usual ruthless edge lacking. He’s missed five big chances this term in the Premier League, with only two players spurning more—one of whom is Erling Haaland, who has already scored 11 league goals.
Liverpool have grown reliant not only on Salah’s prolific nature, but also his ability to provide for teammates. He’s become an all-round threat for the Reds with his speed, power and precision, but all of those attributes have seldom been spotted this season. Slot needs his superstar to rediscover his form.
Floundering Summer Signings
Liverpool splashed a record sum over the summer and recruited high-profile names in a range of positions, with over £200 million splashed on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak alone. On paper, all their additions were impressive, with the Reds’ reputable recruitment team rarely misfiring in the transfer market.
But such dramatic changes in a single window has done more harm than good to date. Out of Liverpool’s summer additions, only Hugo Ekitiké has matched expectations, with the likes of Wirtz, Isak, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong having all struggled for a myriad of different reasons.
Frimpong has been blunted by injuries, while his fellow full back Kerkez has been erratic and reckless. Isak is still gaining full match fitness having missed the entirety of pre-season and Wirtz has looked overwhelmed by the speed and physicality of the Premier League, with Liverpool struggling to adapt to life with a traditional attacking midfielder.
The aforementioned quartet have shown few signs of finding their feet in recent weeks, with glimpses of their talent all they have been able to offer. Liverpool cannot afford to carry four expensive passengers as they seek to fix their form, with Slot needing more from his new recruits.
But the Dutch coach also needs to discover the best way to utilise his signings. Liverpool’s squad has been settled for two months now and yet the Reds still lack clarity in terms of team selection and tactical identity. Slot must find answers sooner rather than later.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Fires for Arne Slot to Extinguish Amid Worrying Liverpool Slump.
