When Liverpool beat Chelsea in the 2024 Carabao Cup final, coach Jurgen Klopp called it the "most special victory" of his illustrious career.
The reason is not the size of the tournament or the value of the prize money, but the way Liverpool won. With a squad devastated by injuries, Klopp has been forced to use many academy players at Wembley. And they have overcome all expectations to beat Chelsea 1-0 thanks to captain Virgil van Dijk's extra-time header.
While Klopp and his students have received countless compliments, Chelsea - a team built by Mauricio Pochettino with huge investments - has become the focus of mockery.
However, less than 2 years later, Liverpool under Arne Slot has now become the most criticized team. The reason is that a summer spent a record £446m on seven new signings - the largest number ever spent by a Premier League club in a transfer window.
After the championship season, the explosive summer of 2025 is expected to take The Kop to a new level. But after the first 11 matches of the new season, Liverpool's defense is collapsing. They have lost five of their last six Premier League games, falling to eighth place and eight points behind leaders Arsenal.
From a very stable team last season, Liverpool now looks like a chaotic team. They quickly realized that winning in the transfer market does not mean immediate success on the pitch.
Despite their success with the championship last season, this summer is expected to be a turbulent period for Liverpool. After recruiting winger Federico Chiesa before the 2024-2025 season, The Kop are in need of a reform, especially in attack.
According to British media, both strikers Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have expressed their desire to leave the club, while the tragic death of Diogo Jota has further complicated Liverpool's transfer strategy.
To make up for the departure of many first-team players, Liverpool brought in 7 new players, including 69 million pounds for striker Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt), 100 million pounds to recruit midfielder Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) and 125 million pounds for Alexander Isak from Newcastle.
Despite a strong start to the season, from a series of 7 consecutive wins in all competitions, Liverpool has fallen into a series of 7 losses in the last 10 matches. In particular, both Wirtz and Isak have not been able to make their mark at Anfield.
"When people spend a lot of money and expect too much, disappointment is very likely to happen. The problem is managing expectations, but what I expect is that even if things don't go well, when you play for Liverpool, you still have to put your hand in the shirt and contribute to the team.
That could be hard work, pressing from the front line and accelerating. Basically, you have to work hard," said former Liverpool midfielder David Thompson.
Of course, Liverpool's turbulent summer season is not the only reason for their decline. tactically, Slot has sometimes failed to control the game as effectively as last season, while the form and fitness of key players continue to pose many challenges for the Dutch strategist.
In addition, the fact that the whole team is still saddened by the passing of a close teammate also affects the fighting spirit. Therefore, it is not too surprising that the defending champion lacks vitality.
However, football is a harsh environment, and in fact Liverpool have to quickly find a solution to improve the result, instead of relying on time.
