Van Dijk's form is a concern
Virgil van Dijk once strongly responded to Wayne Rooney's criticism after helping Liverpool keep a clean sheet and defeat Real Madrid. However, a series of 3 consecutive defeats with a difference of 3 goals is once again making his form the focus. And the Dutch centre-back continues to face criticism.
The difficulty for Van Dijk lies in the fact that he is a natural leader. The Dutch international always carries the responsibility of guiding, encouraging and sometimes reminding his teammates on the pitch. But everything became different when his own form declined, because at that time, the words he said no longer maintained the weight as before.
In the loss to PSV, the touch that led to the penalty occurred when Van Dijk was engrossed in arguing with the referee about the corner kick situation. Even after the opponent was given the 11m mark, he continued to complain. Not long after, Van Dijk received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle - the result of a lack of concentration and a haste.
Although most public opinion is paying attention to the decline of Mohamed Salah, the reality is that both of Liverpool's most important pillars over the years have not been in the best form. The challenge for Van Dijk at the moment is not only to help the team overcome the crisis, but also to overcome the rare difficult period in his career on his own.
Salah is a defensive burden
Curtis Jones will receive a lot of sympathy at full-back, despite making a mistake with an insecure ball loss in the penalty area in the second half. With Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong both absent, Slot has been forced to use Jones as a right-back - a role that is not his forte.
However, anyone playing at right-back will easily become an exploited and isolated target with Salah ahead of them. The winger has been left with little defensive action - which was once accepted as a reasonable trade-off as he has consistently shined in the opposition half.
But now, with Salah's attacking form suyving, that weakness has immediately become an opportunity for all opponents. In PSV's second goal, Mauro Junior almost had no problem overcoming Salah.
Isak still can't keep up with the pace
Alexander Isak was brought on from the bench in the final half of the match, but could not change the situation. The Newcastle signing has made 10 appearances for Liverpool, but his only goal came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup.
Isak had a quick shot from a tight angle, but still lacked sharpness and could not create the pressure Slot expected from this striker. The Liverpool coach stressed this as a problem, especially after Hugo Ekitike had to withdraw due to a back injury.
When talking about the decline in the second half, Slot shared: "It's partly due to Hugo Ekitike, who felt unwell right after the break. That is the reason why pressing is not strong enough. When the pressing is ineffective, the opponent will have players who take advantage of the opportunity better than you".
Isak is still waiting for the big moment to light up his Liverpool career. However, the reason why Ekitike quickly became a fan-favorite player was not only because of his goals, but also because of the energy he brought. Currently, that is still lacking in Isak's playing style.
