Liverpool are on a downward trend. What was once thought to be just a small problem has now turned into a full-scale crisis.
Arne Slot's side have now lost four Premier League games, equal to the total number of defeats in the previous season. The question is, what has caused Liverpool to decline to this point?
Disaster with long balls
Slot has admitted that Liverpool cannot cope with long balls. Therefore, it is not difficult to predict what strategy coach Keith Andrews chose in Brentford's 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
Brentford launched a total of 64 direct passes towards the away team's goal. Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate seemed to spend more time running back to block the game than controlling the game or organizing proactive defense.
Perhaps Slot was unwise in publicly pointing out Liverpool's weaknesses. "I have reviewed the number of long passes we have to defend - 178 in seven games. In the match against Man United, that number was 59," Slot said at a press conference, implying that the Reds' shortcomings stemmed from their opponents' playing style.
This is the perfect design to defeat Liverpool. Brentford used their highest long-pass rate since the beginning of the season. They opened the scoring after just five minutes from a throw-in, before Kevin Schade doubled the gap with a goal from Mikkel Damsgaard's about 40m long pass. Liverpool were completely cut off and from that moment on, they struggled to find a way back into the game.
The formation structure is easily broken
Slot may want to avoid responsibility, but it is clear that Liverpool currently lack cohesion and balance. Under Jurgen Klopp, the Reds were a pressing machine, and much of that intensity was maintained last year. However, Liverpool have been much more passive this season.
The pressure of the defense is now on the midfield trio, who are having difficulty in changing their status. Liverpool conceded the fourth highest xG in the league (1.62) from quick counter-attacks.
Brentford have launched a total of 17 shots towards Liverpool's goal - the most that The Kop have faced this season. They also created 7 big chances, of which 4 were missed.
Physical problems
Without Ryan Gravenberch due to injury, Liverpool has become strangely weak. At Gtech Stadium, they won just eight of their 19 aerial challenges in the first half. Florian Wirtz and Curtis Jones are not the type of players who like to collide, forcing Dominik Szoboszlai to take care of himself.
Szoboszlai won the most one-on-one disputes at 11. but still had to cover his teammates. He was exploited a lot by the opponent, and Slot had to admit: "Thousands of one-on-one duels were lost, too many second-half misses". Wirtz has a success rate in one-on-one disputes of only 33%, the second lowest in the team.
The integration of new factors
Liverpool have spent a lot of money on top attacking talent this summer. However, the departure of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez and the tragic death of Diogo Jota have created an un filling void. Therefore, implementing a strong overhaul with a team that is the defending champion is not easy to explain.
With the current squad, Liverpool is completely out of balance. Their defense lacks support if Van Dijk or Konate need a break, and their defenders are also limited.
Alexander Isak and Wirtz seem to be lost, while the German international was bought to deal with teams playing low defense. Slot's recent admitted fact further clarifies the problem: "We have not found an answer yet". Obviously, the responsibility still belongs to the coach.
Slow start
Liverpool have conceded in 6 consecutive matches in all competitions. In their last four Premier League games, they have conceded at least two goals in each game. The goals conceded are often early, with all the opening goals coming within the first 16 minutes. Brentford even broke the deadlock in the fifth minute.
The matches quickly became an overwhelming challenge for Liverpool. This fragile team, with many stars playing under their power, is under heavy pressure and has a poor goal difference compared to the newly promoted team Sunderland.
What will happen to Liverpool?
In the current context, Opta predicts Liverpool will finish third, while Arsenal will win the championship. Although not absolutely certain, based on recent performance, this result is completely grounded. Third place seems to be a welcome one, especially given Liverpool's current losing streak.
Slot has a lot of work to do, his number one priority is to prevent Liverpool from conceding consecutive goals. The last time they kept a clean sheet was 6 weeks ago, and set pieces also became a problem. Only Nottingham Forest and West Ham have conceded more goals than Liverpool from such moves.
Before avoiding losing 5 consecutive matches in the tournament for the first time since 2019, The Kop will host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Slot needs to find a quick solution, otherwise the transition period will last until winter.
