Four Fires For Arne Slot To Extinguish Amid Worrying Liverpool Slump

Arne Slot endured a rosy debut run pinch Liverpool, but second-season syndrome has floored nan Dutchman.

There was an presumption that Liverpool’s colossal summertime walk would make them invincible successful their bid to take sides their Premier League crown and adhd further silverware to nan cabinet, but, arsenic has been proven many times successful modern football, costly signings do not equate to contiguous success.

Liverpool presently find themselves successful situation aft 5 defeats from six matches and 4 consecutive Premier League losses. Bad luck has played nary portion successful nan Reds’ downward spiral, pinch their performances simply unacceptable and smacking of complacency.

Liverpool must move nan area swiftly to guarantee an early play wobble doesn’t decimate their full campaign, pinch unit rising connected Slot to remedy nan lengthy database of issues connected Merseyside.

Here are 4 fires Slot must put retired successful nan coming weeks.

Liverpool person kept conscionable 2 cleanable sheets this season. / Michael Regan/Getty Images

Liverpool’s glaring weakness has rather evidently been their defence this season. Sure, their star-studded guardant statement has grounded to present connected occasion, but it’s chiefly nan underperformance of their rearguard that has resulted successful their disastrous drop-off successful performances and results from past term’s title winners.

There person been a number of contributing factors: Alisson’s latest hamstring injury, Ibrahima Konaté’s implosion, uncertainty successful nan afloat backmost areas and a deficiency of extent astatine centre back. Liverpool person been alarmingly porous arsenic a result, keeping conscionable 2 cleanable sheets successful each competitions this play and conscionable 5 since March.

Their expertise to overpower guidance and penchant for precocious goals ensured a winning commencement to nan season, but their attacking firepower has been incapable to bail retired a leaky defence successful caller weeks. They person been regularly undone by teams consenting to onslaught pinch velocity and power, particularly connected nan antagonistic attack, arsenic evidenced successful caller losses to Manchester United and Brentford.

Liverpool kept much cleanable sheets than immoderate different broadside successful nan Premier League past play and Slot was lauded for his expertise to power matches. A much measured attack was attributed to an accrued resilience astatine nan back, but nan summation of 2 remarkably attacking afloat backs and employment of a much offence-first strategy has seen nan Reds torn to pieces.

Slot simply can’t spend to support things nan measurement they are, pinch changes required to bolster nan rearguard. Liverpool person to spell backmost to basics, defending successful numbers and pinch uninterrupted focus. Certain individuals besides request to up their crippled to thief nan Reds extremity nan rot.

Alexis Mac Allister’s Malaise

Alexis Mac Allister has endured a stuttering commencement to nan season. / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Ryan Gravenberch understandably stole nan plaudits past play pursuing his stunning translator into an all-action protect midfielder, but Liverpool still relied connected Alexis Mac Allister to dictate nan tempo successful nan centre of nan pitch. The Argentine is simply a masterful conductor and orchestrates nan Reds’ attacking patterns pinch precision, seldom surrendering possession owed to his unthinkable power and distribution.

Mac Allister is besides amazingly combative successful nan protect third. He bites into tackles, sounds threat and screens nan backmost 4 efficaciously alongside Gravenberch. But Liverpool person mislaid their ace successful nan battalion this play owed to a substance of injury, a deficiency of lucifer fittingness and immoderate questionable form.

Like galore of his antecedently invincible teammates, Mac Allister has been operating acold beneath his champion this term. Availability has been an rumor pursuing wounded issues astatine nan extremity of past word and nan opening of pre-season, pinch nan Argentine having been incapable to rediscover his mojo. He’s appeared successful 12 matches for Liverpool successful each competitions, but has only lasted complete 70 minutes connected 2 occasions.

Mac Allister’s stuttering commencement to nan play has been 1 of nan reasons down Liverpool’s sluggish performances and protect openness. With Gravenberch besides struggling pinch wounded lately, a midfield double pivot of Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai has unsurprisingly been incapable to supply nan basal protection successful nan motor room.

Liverpool request Mac Allister backmost astatine his masterful best—and soon.

Mohamed Salah is operating measurement beneath his best. / Gerrit van Keulen/Soccrates/Getty Images

Mohamed Salah was nan catalyst down Slot’s unthinkable debut season. The Egyptian enjoyed nan astir imaginative run of his profession pinch 23 assists and his second-most prolific arsenic he recovered nan nett connected 34 occasions successful each competitions. He was, alternatively unsurprisingly, named nan 2024–25 Premier League Player of nan Season.

Salah was rewarded for his stellar performances pinch a caller two-year statement that put an extremity to speculation complete an Anfield exit, but nan 33-year-old’s performances person nosedived since putting pen to paper. Seven extremity contributions this play is somewhat misleading, pinch his performances having been miles beneath his accustomed standard.

The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold has surely reduced Salah’s impact, pinch nan duo dovetailing impressively erstwhile sharing nan correct wing, but nan basal errors nan seasoned is making cannot beryllium excused by a alteration of attack aliases unit this term.

Salah has been uncharacteristically sloppy successful possession. The forward’s touch has been sub-par, his distribution predictable and uninspiring, and his accustomed ruthless separator lacking. He’s missed 5 large chances this word successful nan Premier League, pinch only 2 players spurning more—one of whom is Erling Haaland, who has already scored 11 convention goals.

Liverpool person grown reliant not only connected Salah’s prolific nature, but besides his expertise to supply for teammates. He’s go an all-round threat for nan Reds pinch his speed, powerfulness and precision, but each of those attributes person seldom been spotted this season. Slot needs his superstar to rediscover his form.

Floundering Summer Signings

Florian Wirtz is struggling successful England. / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Liverpool splashed a grounds sum complete nan summertime and recruited high-profile names successful a scope of positions, pinch complete £200 cardinal splashed connected Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak alone. On paper, each their additions were impressive, pinch nan Reds’ reputable recruitment squad seldom misfiring successful nan transportation market.

But specified melodramatic changes successful a azygous model has done much harm than bully to date. Out of Liverpool’s summertime additions, only Hugo Ekitiké has matched expectations, pinch nan likes of Wirtz, Isak, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong having each struggled for a myriad of different reasons.

Frimpong has been blunted by injuries, while his chap afloat backmost Kerkez has been erratic and reckless. Isak is still gaining afloat lucifer fittingness having missed nan entirety of pre-season and Wirtz has looked overwhelmed by nan velocity and physicality of nan Premier League, pinch Liverpool struggling to accommodate to life pinch a accepted attacking midfielder.

The aforementioned quartet person shown fewer signs of uncovering their feet successful caller weeks, pinch glimpses of their talent each they person been capable to offer. Liverpool cannot spend to transportation 4 costly passengers arsenic they activity to hole their form, pinch Slot needing much from his caller recruits.

But nan Dutch coach besides needs to observe nan champion measurement to utilise his signings. Liverpool’s squad has been settled for 2 months now and yet nan Reds still deficiency clarity successful position of squad action and tactical identity. Slot must find answers sooner alternatively than later.

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