Online Reporter
ALL eyes were on Liverpool at the start of this season as they appeared as favourites to defend their Premier League title.
On top of last year’s triumph under Arne Slot, the Reds invested heavily over the summer, bringing in the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
But as we enter the November international break, it has become clear that Slot’s ambitious effort to integrate so many new stars has created identity problems.
Liverpool are eighth in the table after 11 games, and have already suffered more losses than they managed in their title winning season.
The warning signs were there even during their five-game unbeaten start to the season, but when their string of late winners dried up, the cracks started to show, and they have now lost five of their last six Prem matches.
So what has gone so wrong for Slot and his team?
First and foremost, among his concerns will be the declining form of leaders Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, who have both seemed a shadow of their former selves since signing contract extensions over the summer.
The pair have naturally attracted the most criticism as Liverpool’s most recognisable stars, but their struggles are indicators of the wider issues plaguing the Reds this season.
Liverpool are wide open to counter attacks
Since Fabinho‘s departure in 2023, Liverpool have struggled to find a ‘controller’ in the base of their midfield. Ryan Gravenberch‘s emergence last season looked to be the answer as he helped dictate play in both directions in the middle of the pitch.
This season, however, the Dutchman has found himself isolated in midfield, before being flooded by the opposition when the side face quick counter attacks.
The abundance of free space and time in the midfield has caused Liverpool issues time and time again in recent months, leaving central defenders Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate exposed time and again.
Given how much of their success came from dominating possession last season, it has been a shock to see how chaotic and end-to-end their matches have become in such a short space of time.
In the above image we can see the lack of structure in central areas while Liverpool scramble to defend a counter attack against Chelsea.
Both full-backs have pushed forward and been caught high after the turnover, and, combined with the team’s lack of presence in central areas, this allows the opposition attackers to very easily stretch the defence.
The size and athleticism of Van Dijk or Konate means that they have been able to deal with similar scenarios in the past, but these situations have become much more frequent – a real problem for Liverpool.
While the lack of a controller in midfield has not helped this vulnerability, what has really exaggerated the problem is how Liverpool have pushed their full-backs forward.
This has led to a lack of cover when the opposition win the ball back, with the central defenders forced to either give up space to the wingers by staying narrow or open up central areas by coming across to cover the space left by the full-backs. – Sun
