For the second consecutive season, Liverpool closed the campaign with a 1-1 draw at Anfield and a farewell for an excellent full-back.
If at the end of the 2024-2025 season, Liverpool's decline can be explained by the fact that they won the Premier League early, then a year later, the situation is completely different. Arne Slot's team still has many goals to fight for but only won a ticket to the Champions League in the final round.
Virgil van Dijk did not avoid reality. "This is the most difficult season in my career" - Liverpool captain admitted.
That was also Liverpool's worst season in a decade. They only won 60 points, 24 points behind last season, scored 23 fewer goals and conceded more than Nottingham Forest - who is only ranked 16th.
This result is even more disappointing as Liverpool spent up to 450 million pounds in the summer transfer market last year. "This is clearly not what I expected this season" - Arne Slot admitted. "But with all that has happened, today I am still happy because we won a Champions League ticket.
A season of hurt and disappointment
What Liverpool has gone through is not simply a form crisis.
Their campaign began in a heavy atmosphere after Diogo Jota's tragic departure - a shock that Andy Robertson admitted deeply affected the whole team. However, neither Slot nor the players have ever used it as an excuse.
Liverpool started the season with five consecutive wins in the Premier League, but the excitement quickly disappeared. In the remaining 33 matches, they only won 45 points.
The ambition to defend the throne collapsed in a 7-match streak in which The Kop lost six times. Those defeats have many common points: they often concede late goals, lack squad depth and appear out of breath against more energetic opponents.
Fixed situations have also become a nightmare. Therefore, the expected appearance of Etienne Reijnen - a dead ball expert who used to work with Slot at Feyenoord - is seen as an hope to help Liverpool improve this weakness.
Disappointing contracts
Last summer, the "Red Brigade" spent heavily with the ambition to defend the throne and upgrade their attack. But the results were completely opposite.
Alexander Isak, a £125 million contract, became a symbol of Liverpool's defeat in the transfer market. The Swedish striker only scored half of Van Dijk's goals and ended the season on the bench without being used.
Slot may be concerned about Isak's injury history. He may also simply no longer believe that this striker is capable of making a difference. Meanwhile, Florian Wirtz also caused great disappointment. The German star did not score or assist against any team in the upper half of the Premier League table.
There is a noteworthy detail reflecting Liverpool's failure in transfer work. That is that none of their newcomers started in the last match of the season.
Salah declines, Liverpool loses identity
Mohamed Salah's decline is one of the major reasons for Liverpool's decline.
His controversial interview at Elland Road makes the prospect of leaving Anfield almost unavoidable. The relationship between Salah and Arne Slot also shows many signs of cracking.
Liverpool also could not find a worthy replacement for Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold. The team lacked speed, breakthroughs on both wings and especially creativity.
Alexander-Arnold has always been the only player in Liverpool's system. The appearance of Jeremie Frimpong makes the void he left behind even more difficult to fill.
This season even witnessed Liverpool having to use up to 7 different right-backs. The fact that their last goal was scored by Curtis Jones - a midfielder playing as a right-back - is somewhat symbolic of that chaos.
Szoboszlai is a rare bright spot
Amidst a disappointing season, Dominik Szoboszlai emerged as a rare bright spot.
The Hungarian midfielder not only maintained stable form but also scored many important goals, including beautiful goals against Arsenal and Manchester City.
Szoboszlai is also the only truly worthy candidate for Liverpool's Player of the Season title. Conversely, many of their pillars have clearly declined. Alexis Mac Allister has lost form, Cody Gakpo's scoring efficiency has decreased, and Ibrahima Konate has experienced an unstable season.
Van Dijk is not perfect, but still the biggest support when playing every minute in the Premier League. Rio Ngumoha brings hope for the future, while Hugo Ekitike partly compensates for the disappointment from Isak before getting injured at the end of the season.
Arne Slot's future
Liverpool closed the season with damage to reputation and pride. The boos that appeared when Slot replaced Rio Ngumoha in the match against Chelsea showed that the patience of fans was gradually running out.
However, the Dutch coach still holds his seat. Liverpool has also achieved the minimum goal of winning a Champions League spot.
Things could have been even worse," Slot said.
But for Liverpool, next season not only needs to be better, but also much better.
