Back in August 2025, the concerns of opponents about Liverpool regaining their dominance in the Premier League are completely well-founded.
They have just won the 2024-2025 season convincingly, then continued to spend heavily in the summer, bringing a series of bright European talents to consolidate their number one position in England. And when the new season started, everything went almost perfectly.
The victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby on September 20 took Liverpool to the top of the table with 15 absolute points after 5 rounds. But just two months later, they have dropped to eighth place with 18 points, having lost five of their last six games.
The criticism has been overwhelming and harsh - not to be confused given the sudden decline. Although Liverpool have not been really convincing in their opening 5 wins, almost no one predicted they would collapse in this way.
However, the potential problems are real. It is not surprising that the tragedy related to Diogo Jota in early July left a deep mark on the coaching staff, the players who fought alongside him last season, and the new recruits who just set foot in Merseyside in a heavy, loss-making atmosphere.
After Scotland's dramatic victory over Denmark - the match that helped them qualify for the World Cup - Liverpool vice-captain Andy Robertson shared emotionally:
"Today I can't stop thinking about my friend Diogo Jota. We talked a lot about the World Cup... and I know he will smile somewhere tonight. I only remember Jota all day, so I was a little confused, but maybe I could hide it."
Just hearing that makes sense how difficult it is to stay focused, even though this is just an international task. At club level, where Robertson spent five years with Jota, that loss was much greater. With top-flight football, where the smallest details can decide defeat, such a mental shock cannot be underestimated.
The 0-3 loss to Manchester City right before the international break was a big blow, but the fragile gap Liverpool faced was clearly shown through Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal.
Although City deserved to win and Liverpool did not play well at the Etihad, it should be remembered that this defeat came just over a week after a convincing victory over Aston Villa was in the form. Before that, there was an impressive 1-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Champions League - a result that even the Spanish giants had to worry about.
Over the course of the season, it is not surprising that the failure at the Etihad has fueled doubts about the defending champions.
Their match schedule is not easy. In the past 11 matches, only one opponent is in the bottom 6 teams (Burnley), and at home they have only faced one team in the bottom half of the rankings (Everton). Of the remaining 9 teams in the top 10 of the Premier League, Liverpool have met 7 teams.
That is not to reduce the problem. Because losing 5/11 matches at the beginning of the season is enough to call a crisis according to modern football standards. Especially since last season they only lost 4 matches, 2 of which came after winning the championship.
However, Liverpool are entering a much more favorable period. They will host Nottingham Forest this weekend and in the next 5 matches, there will only be one team in the top half of the rankings that they will face.
