Five days after being left out of the Champions League in a penalty shootout against Paris St Germain at Anfield, Liverpool have seemed to be mentally discouraged. From the dream of winning the treble, they now only have the race to win the Premier League to strive for in the rest of the season.
It was not until the end of the first half of the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle that Liverpool had their first shot. This was enough to show their poor performance at Wembley.
Just 5 days ago, Liverpool had to go through 120 tense minutes with PSG in the Champions League. That was proven when The Kop had to face a Newcastle side that carried the hope and dream of an entire city.
Don't confuse, this is still an extraordinary campaign for Liverpool. They will still win the Premier League unless a huge turning point happens. But despite Slot's affirmation that Liverpool do not need more motivation after being eliminated from the European Cup, The Kop looked tired in the important match at Wembley.
This is a defeat that will take a long time to calm down, with 17 days left until the "Red Brigade" next match against Everton in the Premier League. Slot must hope that the next two weeks will give his players a chance to re-establish. Otherwise, their peaceful end of the season is expected to be stormy.
"It's probably the first time it's happened to us this season, but it's usually the end of the season. Today, Liverpool was overwhelmed by their opponents, due to their strong-willed disputes.
The match went as Newcastle wanted, with a lot of determination and competition. They passed our pressing system with long passes and slowed down the game," Slot said after the defeat to Newcastle.
As Newcastle players celebrated Isak's goal in the second half, Mohamed Salah walked, his head bent down, towards the center circle.
The Egyptian has been Liverpool's guardian illusion this season, scoring 32 goals and providing 22 assists in all competitions. However, at Wembley, Salah is just a shadow of himself.
This defeat marked the continuation of a difficult week for the Egyptian striker. Salah was in tears after Liverpool were painfully eliminated from the Champions League against PSG. He was the only Liverpool player to successfully take a penalty in a penalty shootout at Anfield, but Salah struggled in both matches against PSG.
It is unfair to criticize Salah, who has personal talent to inspire Liverpool's memorable campaign. But it is difficult to argue about the fact that his form has fading at the worst possible time for The Kop.
For Liverpool, the biggest concern is that no one is there to help ease the burden. On the theory, Slot has one of the best attacking forces in Europe, but with Salah struggling, Liverpool has been alarmingly weak at the top.
What happened at Wembley is a worrying look at Liverpool's future if they cannot extend Salah's contract this summer.
