Liverpool have won 70% of their matches in all competitions this season and currently sit second in the Premier League, yet Arne Slot’s reigning champions still find themselves barrelling towards crisis.
The Reds enjoyed a fairy-tale campaign under their Dutch commander in 2024–25 and an unprecedented summer of spending promised the establishment of a dynasty. However, Liverpool’s loosening of the purse strings has had the opposite effect, unbalancing the side that waltzed to Premier League glory last term.
Liverpool’s seven-game winning streak at the start of the campaign proved quite the red herring. Good fortune sustained a run of dramatic late victories, but luck has since run out. The Reds lost three games on the spin prior to the October international break for the first time since 2023, sucker punched by the last-gasp drama that had aided them.
Liverpool can have few complaints about losses away at Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea, all of whom were worthy victors in battles with the Reds. Fortunately for Slot, club football’s hiatus offers him the opportunity to do some much-needed analysis and problem solving before his players return from international duty.
Here are four things the Liverpool manager must address during the October break.
Defensive Disintegration
Liverpool’s underperformance at the beginning of the season has been characterised by their disorganised defence. Even in victories their rearguard has been pulled from pillar to post, bamboozled by anybody with the bravery to attack quickly and with significant numbers.
In Liverpool’s first five victories this season, they surrendered two-goal leads on three separate occasions. They were pegged back twice in the Community Shield as they ultimately fell to Palace on penalties. In their three recent defeats, they have been trailing by the 16th minute.
Slot’s side have conceded nine goals in the Premier League—more than Everton, Sunderland and Bournemouth—and are allowing 1.38 expected goals on average per match. The defensive unit which kept more clean sheets than any other team in the English top flight last season has been bypassed with alarming ease.
Liverpool have struggled to find balance in their backline since refurbishing the full-back departments. The arrival of the incredibly attack-minded Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez has left gaping holes in transition, with the former struggling to establish himself as a regular and the latter making a disappointing start on Merseyside.
An unsettled midfield has not aided Liverpool’s organisation, with Alexis Mac Allister’s fitness struggles having proven costly, while Ibrahima Konaté and even Virgil van Dijk have been operating below their best. The arrival of several attacking superstars has further unsettled the shape of Slot’s team.
Fixing the defence will prove far from straightforward. Personnel and tactical alterations are required to tighten things up. But Liverpool simply can’t emulate and even improve upon last season’s success while their defence remains so disordered.
Ibrahima Konaté’s Implosion
Konaté has been the fall guy for Liverpool‘s disastrous defensive displays this season and understandably so. While the 26-year-old is not solely to blame, his dire individual performances have been hard to ignore—especially amid ongoing uncertainty regarding his Liverpool future amid Real Madrid interest.
The Frenchman appears increasingly likely to follow Trent Alexander-Arnold to the Santiago Bernabéu on a free transfer next summer, but is playing his way out of contention for a blockbuster transfer to the Spanish capital.
Konaté’s recklessness, poor positioning and unconvincing distribution have all been fairly scrutinised in the opening two months of the season, the defender finding life difficult against quick, powerful forwards such as Jean-Philippe Mateta and Victor Osimhen.
The centre back has always been capable of producing the odd shocker, but those performances have been far too frequent this season. Slot needs to find a way of reinvigorating or simply protecting his No.5, with suitable replacements few and far between.
The Florian Wirtz Conundrum
In a year’s time, the criticism of Florian Wirtz’s start at Liverpool could look very foolish. The £116 million German remains one of the world‘s elite attacking midfielders and will almost certainly come good at Anfield given time and patience. But, for now, he’s providing Slot with an unwanted headache.
It can’t be denied that Wirtz’s performances have been poorer than expected as he struggles to adapt to life in a new team and country, but it‘s the impact the 22-year-old has on Liverpool’s shape and cohesion that is the major concern.
Wirtz has been utilised in his preferred No.10 role since moving to Merseyside, taking over from Dominik Szoboszlai as Liverpool’s most advanced midfielder. Unlike his Hungarian teammate, Wirtz doesn’t offer the same defensive protection or work rate out of possession, ultimately leaving the Reds to defend with one less body than last season.
Wirtz, unsurprisingly, wants to operate in and around the penalty area where he can contribute goals and assists, but the advanced positions he occupies leaves Liverpool short when the ball is turned over. The Reds are not use to having an out-and-out attacking midfielder in their starting lineup.
Accommodating Wirtz while not abandoning structural integrity is the puzzle that faces Slot, and there doesn‘t appear to be any easy fix.
Mohamed Salah’s Malaise
Mohamed Salah propelled Liverpool to top spot last season and was always going to find it difficult to replicate his incredible numbers. He managed an astonishing 34 goals and 23 assists in all competitions, returns which convinced the Reds to do everything in their power to extend his contract for another two years.
But, along with many of his teammates, Salah’s standards have plummeted this season. He’s managed three goals and three assists in nine appearances—a solid return, admittedly—but his general performances have been way below his usual levels.
Salah has missed more big chances (three) than any other Liverpool player in the league this season and has a dribble success rate of just 12.5%. He‘s not offering the Reds the same clinical edge as last term and is also struggling to cause left backs issues with his usual speed and power.
The 33-year-old is not playing terribly, but given Liverpool’s reliance on their No.11, he needs to offer more. Right now, he’s simply not doing enough in his club’s time of need.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Four Issues for Arne Slot to Address at Liverpool Over the International Break.
