Fixtures

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After successful the Premier League title in resounding vogue final season, the fan base had excessive expectations for supervisor Arne Slot in his sophomore marketing campaign.

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The Dutchman lifted the league trophy on the finish of his first season in cost, and after a summer season of exorbitant spending to refresh and enhance the squad, there was a perception that the Reds couldn’t solely repeat final yr’s feat but additionally advance in direction of lifting a number of trophies ultimately.

As an alternative, it has been a battle from the onset. Alarm bells rang virtually instantly initially of the marketing campaign, and whereas the Reds managed to grind out a run of last-gasp victories early on, these shut shaves have given approach to antagonistic outcomes which have laid their issues naked.

Liverpool ended October on a four-match dropping streak within the Premier League, with a 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt the one uptick over 5 defeats in six throughout all competitions. There may be all of a sudden strain on the Dutch supervisor simply months off a triumphant debut marketing campaign in England.

The Sporting Information takes a take a look at the present studies concerning Slot’s employment standing, what has gone mistaken for Liverpool up to now, and why the membership’s seven video games all through November may outline their season.

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Will Arne Slot be sacked by Liverpool?

Whereas the present run of type has been troublesome for Liverpool, and their current outcomes have put the membership and administration below strain, there’s reportedly no concern in regards to the employment of Arne Slot because it at the moment stands.

Freelance journalist Fabrizio Romano that Slot’s place will not be below menace.

“Internally, Liverpool completely…actually, actually belief Arne Slot. They’re 100% satisfied that Arne Slot is the perfect supervisor to deal with this case. Clearly, it has been a poor begin to the season, however Liverpool are satisfied that all the things goes to be okay, that it’ll take a while to evaluate the squad with the brand new signings, to vary one thing and get again to the perspective from final season, however Liverpool have full belief in Arne Slot. There’s a excellent communication every day between the administrators, all individuals on the membership in administration, and Arne Slot. There isn’t a dangerous relationship, and no issues with the gamers and Arne Slot, so all the things is absolutely below management.”

Romano goes on to chalk up Liverpool’s present poor run of type to “techniques, and likewise after all some psychological” struggles.

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Liverpool fixtures in November to outline their 2025/26 season

The month of November will see Liverpool’s season put squarely on the road.

Beginning October 29 and operating by means of November 30, the Reds will contest seven matches throughout all competitions, 5 of that are at house and yet another a brief journey down the M62. Solely their month-ending Premier League go to to London will see Liverpool go away the acquainted confines of the north west.

The seven-game slate sees the Reds face a little bit of all the things, and it’ll problem their true credentials for ending the season with any trophies in any respect.

It begins on October 29 with a Carabao Cup fourth-round match in opposition to FA Cup winners , a group that overcame Liverpool on this season’s Neighborhood Protect on penalties earlier than beating them at Selhurst Park final month. Then the four-match dropping streak in league play is put to the take a look at in opposition to , who’ve rebounded from their poor early-season type.

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A gathering with Champions League favourites and former Liverpool participant Xabi Alonso is subsequent on the playing cards, in a recreation that really may very well be a beneficial matchup for the Reds. With Liverpool finished in not too long ago by their very own frenetic tempo, a pressured deceleration recreation in opposition to Alonso’s control-freak techniques may truly play into their palms.

After a visit tip to tackle acquainted foes previous to the November worldwide break, the month finishes with three winnable video games, albeit none of which will likely be a walkover. Residence video games in opposition to Sean Dyche’s and defending Dutch champions PSV lead right into a go to to struggling West Ham.

How Liverpool emerge from this run of fixtures will both see the Reds out of title rivalry on varied fronts, or re-establish their candidacy for silverware. It is arduous to think about a center path.

Upcoming Liverpool fixtures heading into and thru November

Date

Competitors

Match

Location

Wed, Oct. 29

EFL Cup 4th spherical

Liverpool vs. Crystal Palace

Anfield (Liverpool, England)

Sat, Nov. 1

Premier League

Liverpool vs. Aston Villa

Anfield (Liverpool, England)

Tue, Nov. 4

Champions League

Liverpool vs. Actual Madrid

Anfield (Liverpool, England)

Solar, Nov. 9

Premier League

Man Metropolis vs. Liverpool

Etihad Stadium (Manchester, England)

Sat, Nov. 22

Premier League

Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest

Anfield (Liverpool, England)

Wed, Nov. 26

Champions League

Liverpool vs. PSV Eindhoven

Anfield (Liverpool, England)

Solar, Nov. 30

Premier League

West Ham vs. Liverpool

London Stadium (London, England)

Why are Liverpool dropping matches?

A litany of tactical and personnel considerations have led to a string of damaging outcomes for the Reds. Whereas there isn’t a easy clarification, a mixture of points has coagulated, blocking up Liverpool’s capability to choose up factors.

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Defending counter-attacks

Not like final season, when Liverpool had been in a position to assault with vigor while remaining stout in opposition to opposition counter-attacks, this model of Liverpool appears to be like extremely inclined to transitional circulate by the opponent.

Throughout the 2024/25 Premier League season, Liverpool conceded simply two fast-break objectives all yr lengthy. This season, they conceded two within the first match alone.

Whereas Arne Slot has pointed to sloppy passing in midfield leading to misplaced possession in harmful areas, the Reds are additionally over-committing gamers into the assault, leaving themselves exceedingly susceptible on the again. Full-backs and central midfielders are too usually discovering themselves too excessive up the pitch upon dropping possession, which sees Liverpool uncovered on the again in transition.

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This can be a tactical flaw introduced on by different problems listed beneath, as many of those issues for Liverpool are interconnected.

Ball development

One of many predominant keys to Liverpool’s 2024/25 Premier League title was the otherworldly ball development capabilities of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The complete-back ranked seventh within the English high flight for progressive passes, an outrageous quantity for a defender. Solely Josko Gvardiol had extra amongst Premier League defenders, tasked with related duties for Manchester Metropolis within the absence of conventional progressive machine Rodri.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

With Alexander-Arnold departing for Actual Madrid, Arne Slot has needed to unfold out his progressive duties all through the remainder of the squad. The primary two people who’ve taken on this load are Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz.

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Whereas Szoboszlai has been lauded as Liverpool’s finest participant thus far this season, he has been jerked round a number of positions, together with full-back and central midfield. He has been heroic on this regard, however expectations for his performances had been decrease than different superstars throughout the squad.

Lower to Wirtz, who has been burdened considerably by this progressive duty. At Bayer Leverkusen below Xabi Alonso, Wirtz was nonetheless saddled with shifting the ball up the pitch, nevertheless it got here at a a lot slower tempo, permitting him to distribute possession after which transfer into harmful positions to obtain the ball and create probabilities. With Liverpool taking part in at a feverish tempo, he isn’t in a position to carry the ball ahead after which transfer into attacking positions to stay efficient in entrance of aim.

Throughout the 2024/25 season, Wirtz averaged 8.77 progressive passes obtained per 90 minutes in Champions League play and an unlimited 11.83 in Bundesliga motion. With Liverpool thus far this yr by means of 9 league matches, that quantity has plummeted to 7.13 per 90 minutes and 5.69 in three Champions League video games.

The direct result’s that his aim menace has dipped significantly, taking simply 1.52 pictures per 90 minutes and failing to register a single aim. Regardless of this, he’s nonetheless managing to provide a big variety of attacking alternatives for his teammates, which have all gone begging. Wirtz ranks eighth within the Premier League by means of 9 video games with 31 shot-creating actions, and tenth in shot assists with 15, however has but to log a single help.

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Unable to shoulder the progressional load is Alexis Mac Allister, who has plummeted from final yr’s peak type. The Argentine’s contributions to ball development have cratered, seeing him go from 6.13 progressive passes per 90 minutes (84th percentile amongst midfielders) to simply 3.6, which has resulted in a drop of taking part in time as Slot appears to be like for different choices.

Goalkeeping

Liverpool have been one of many worst goalkeeping groups thus far this season within the Premier League, which was not a foreseeable concern.

Alisson manned the primary six matches of the season, logging 9 saves on 16 pictures on track, conceding seven objectives. These numbers aren’t good, however the superior metrics additionally largely see the Brazilian off the hook. These 16 pictures on track had been price a mean of 0.4 xGOT, a considerably excessive quantity, that means opponents had been getting beauty that might be troublesome to forestall. In the end, these 16 efforts add as much as 6.5 xGOT, leaving Alisson with a poor however recoverable -0.5 differential.

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As soon as the Brazilian went down with an harm, Giorgi Mamardashvili stepped in, with excessive expectations after the numerous funding from Liverpool  with Valencia.

In brief, he is been depressing in aim. He has conceded seven objectives in three Premier League matches, coming from 5.2 xGOT throughout 18 pictures on track. Whereas he is confronted a considerably larger quantity of opposition efforts than Alisson, he is carried out fairly poorly, sporting a brutal -1.8 differential. This unsustainable complete can’t proceed over the long run.

Mohamed Salah has regressed all of a sudden and dramatically

Probably the most obvious problem for Liverpool has been the sharp and obvious regression of Mohamed Salah.

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The 33-year-old Egyptian has all of a sudden seemed each little bit of his superior age, simply after Liverpool allotted appreciable assets to re-sign him over the summer season to push back curiosity from the Saudi Professional League.

There is no approach to sugarcoat Salah’s performances. He’s receiving the ball in harmful positions, together with his 11 progressive passes obtained within the ninetieth percentile amongst wingers globally, and doing completely nothing with it.

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Salah has two profitable take-ons up thus far within the Premier League season, and is averaging simply 2.13 pictures per 90 minutes, over a full shot beneath final season’s mark of three.23. Not solely have his pictures declined, however these pictures are coming from worse positions, with a mark of 0.158 anticipated objectives per shot presenting practically a 25% dip from final season’s 0.208 degree.

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There’s loads of time to show issues round, however worries that Father Time has come for Salah could be well-founded.

Placing all of it collectively

So how do these varied causes all come collectively to see Liverpool regress from final yr’s title-winning type?

With Alexander-Arnold gone and the full-back place utterly refreshed, Arne Slot has wanted to seek out new methods of progressing the ball from again to entrance.

With Salah unable to assist shoulder the load, Liverpool have unfold out the progressional duty throughout far too many people. This has resulted within the Reds being caught excessive up the pitch. Opponents are racking up an elevated variety of high quality counter-attacking probabilities that the goalkeeper hasn’t been adequate to nullify.

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A lot of the development has fallen on the toes of Florian Wirtz, who’s succesful in that regard however on the expense of his world-class aim contribution talents in such a high-tempo offensive circulate. Dominik Szoboszlai has managed to show efficient, however Slot’s fixed lineup tinkering usually leaves him in positions that fail to maximise his type.

There is a massive ol’ mess proper now for Arne Slot to type out at Liverpool, and whereas the membership again him to determine find out how to combine and match the costly items ultimately, the present struggles have compounded upon themselves to exacerbate every particular person downside.