4 defeats in a row, fourth within the Premier League desk and 4 factors behind leaders Arsenal. One thing has gone mistaken at Liverpool.
For a crew that cantered to the league title final season, Liverpool abruptly look susceptible on the again, torpid in midfield and toothless in assault.
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To make issues worse, Arne Slot – after spending nearly £450m on new expertise – would not appear to know his greatest beginning XI.
In Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by Manchester United at Anfield, summer season signings Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong – signed for a mixed £214.5m – all began on the bench.
“Slot has a dilemma in the mean time about how he matches these gamers in,” former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock mentioned on BBC Radio 5 Dwell’s Monday Night time Membership.
“It isn’t at all times the value tag of a participant, or the identify of a participant, that fits a crew. We’re seeing that with Thomas Tuchel at England.”
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BBC Sport has regarded on the key questions Slot wants to handle if Liverpool are to keep away from falling to a fifth consecutive defeat for the primary time since 1953.
Ought to Salah be dropped?
Salah has scored three objectives in 10 video games for Liverpool this season [Getty Images]
Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool’s talisman for the previous eight seasons.
However, after scoring 29 objectives in 38 league video games final season, the winger has not been firing on all cylinders to this point this time period.
Salah has not scored within the Premier League since 14 September when he netted a stoppage-time penalty to earn a 1-0 win over Burnley, whereas he has not scored from open play within the league for the reason that Reds’ opening recreation towards Bournemouth.
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It’s the first time he has gone seven consecutive Premier League video games with out scoring a non-penalty objective since becoming a member of the Reds again in 2017.
The 33-year-old’s lack of type was summed up on Sunday when he skewed a golden alternative broad in entrance of the Kop as Liverpool had been chasing an equaliser.
Salah appears to be missing confidence in the case of taking up defenders. Recognized for his speedy attacking runs, the Egyptian is not driving fearlessly at defences the best way he used to.
Gradual build-up play is not serving to Salah, who thrives when attacking at velocity and prefers to face defenders head-on, fairly than together with his again to objective.
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Premier League nice Wayne Rooney has and, with out contributing in entrance of objective, extra scrutiny has been positioned on his reluctance to trace again and assist out in defence.
However does Slot really feel assured sufficient to drop a participant who has been Liverpool’s hero on so many events?
Isak or Ekitike? Why not each?
Might Liverpool’s big-money forwards play collectively in a entrance two? [Getty Images]
As a confirmed Premier League goalscorer and with a British document £125m price ticket, expectations had been excessive, and so was the intrigue
Opposite to most expectations, it has not been a simple trip for the Sweden worldwide since his arrival on Merseyside.
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After a drawn-out switch saga between Newcastle and Liverpool, Isak missed out on pre-season preparation and his lack of match sharpness has been clear. He has come out of his first seven video games for Liverpool with no objective to his identify.
Fellow summer season recruit Ekitike hit the bottom operating by scoring 5 in his first eight video games.
However alternatives for the Frenchman have dried up since he was despatched off for eradicating his shirt after scoring a late winner towards Southampton within the Carabao Cup – in accordance with Slot.
Since then, Slot has favoured Isak within the quantity 9 position and Ekitike has struggled to make an impression from the bench.
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However Isak’s struggles might go away the Liverpool boss with little alternative however to revert again to Ekitike.
In opposition to Manchester United, Isak had simply 19 touches in his 71 minutes on the pitch. His alternative Federico Chiesa, as compared, had 23 touches and supplied the help for Liverpool’s leveller.
Ought to Slot stick or twist with Isak? Or is it potential to squeeze Isak and Ekitike in collectively?
Is Liverpool’s midfield higher or worse with Wirtz?
Wirtz is one other big-money summer season signing who has not been capable of make his mark for Liverpool.
Signed from Bayer Leverkusen in June for a price that would attain £116m, Wirtz – in contrast to Isak – loved a full pre-season with the Reds.
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However the attacking midfielder has not scored but in a Liverpool jersey, whereas his solely help got here of their Group Protect defeat by Crystal Palace.
Throughout a season the place he scored 10 objectives and created 14 extra within the German Bundesliga final time period, the 22-year-old was normally positioned on the left and allowed to drive inside with the ball at his toes by Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso.
However this season Slot has employed Wirtz in a extra central position behind the strikers.
This transformation appears to have disrupted the soundness of a midfield made up of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, who began 22 Premier League video games collectively as Liverpool gained the title.
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With Wirtz maybe struggling to adapt to the depth of off-the-ball calls for within the Premier League, Slot has reverted to his established midfield trio, leaving his costly Germany worldwide on the bench.
But Liverpool’s attacking sequences have remained slow-moving and missing in creativity.
Wirtz, in reality, has been creating possibilities when he has been concerned. He has created extra possibilities per 90 minutes than some other participant within the division who has performed greater than 200 minutes.
Ought to Slot restore his belief in Wirtz and demand that others do higher with the possibilities supplied?
Is there a full-back repair?
Bradley has began 4 Premier League video games at right-back, whereas Frimpong has began one and Szoboszlai has began three [Getty Images]
Given the attacking risk he posed, shedding Trent Alexander-Arnold was at all times going to have an effect on Liverpool when he moved to Actual Madrid.
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The precise-back scored 23 objectives and 92 assists in 354 appearances for the membership and Slot has struggled to fill the hole.
It was thought Jeremie Frimpong could be first alternative, given his £29.5m arrival in the summertime, however the Dutchman has been competing for minutes with Conor Bradley and midfielder Szoboszlai.
That proper flank has been the place Liverpool have been essentially the most uncovered, with 38.1% of assaults coming down that third.
Frimpong and Bradley are each full-backs who prefer to push ahead, however which means they typically go away house behind that’s exploited throughout counter-attacks, whereas Salah’s lack of involvement in monitoring again leaves them much more uncovered.
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Chelsea’s winner towards Liverpool on 4 October was the results of an overload down that aspect, whereas it was Szoboszlai who, after dropping into the right-back position, allowed Matheus Cunha to run in behind and earn the nook that led to Manchester United’s winner on Sunday.
“The precise-back state of affairs is a multitude,” former Premier League striker Chris Sutton mentioned on BBC Radio 5 Dwell’s Monday Night time Membership.
“Szoboszlai has been their greatest midfielder, so enjoying him there kills him. And Frimpong, I do not care what anybody says, how will you spend that cash on a right-back who cannot actually play there? It is bonkers.”
Former Reds full-back Warnock mentioned: “Conor Bradley was at all times going to be first-choice this season.
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“However he’s inconsistent. Folks will perceive now how good Trent was and the way constant. Frimpong was signed as a utility participant, not a defender. He isn’t a defender.”
There have additionally been modifications on the opposite aspect of Liverpool’s defensive position, with Andy Robertson demoted to second alternative after left-back Milos Kerkez’s £40m arrival from Bournemouth.
Kerkez’s defending has additionally didn’t impress, with the keen Hungarian drawn out of place on numerous events, leaving centre-back Virgil van Dijk uncovered.
Does Robertson deserve one other likelihood? And who’s the perfect match at right-back?
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“Kerkez has not been an improve on Andy Robertson and Slot is not sure on what his greatest XI is,” mentioned Sutton.
“Defensively I’m involved about Liverpool.”
How can the leaks in central defence be plugged?
With the full-backs struggling, it leaves extra work for Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate within the centre.
And so they too have regarded susceptible, particularly towards speedy counter-attacks, whereas balls performed in behind have introduced issues to Liverpool.
At this stage of 2024-25, Liverpool had let in simply three objectives within the Premier League. That quantity has rocketed to 11 this time round, which is 5 greater than promoted Sunderland have conceded.
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Liverpool have additionally managed simply two clear sheets to this point this time period and set-pieces have change into a serious fear for Slot’s males.
They’ve let in 5 objectives from dead-ball conditions, with solely struggling Nottingham Forest (six), Leeds United (six) and West Ham (eight) surpassing the Reds.
Particular person errors have been expensive too. Konate has regarded unconvincing with the ball at his toes and was at fault for each Bournemouth objectives of their season opener, whereas Van Dijk was drawn nicely out of place as United scored their first objective on Sunday.
How can Slot tighten Liverpool’s backline earlier than it prices them much more objectives and factors?