A turbulent fortnight has left Liverpool in unfamiliar territory. Arne Slot’s facet have stumbled into an alarming run of defeats that depart the champions at severe threat of falling out of rivalry.
After successive losses to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford, the Dutchman is already underneath strain.
The defending champions sit seven factors adrift of league leaders Arsenal, and whereas there’s nonetheless a protracted highway forward, the momentum that carried them by way of the primary months of the marketing campaign has abruptly vanished.
It’s a worrying state of affairs, and one thing former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has dubbed “disaster mode.”
He mentioned: “To see the champions lose 4 video games in a row within the Premier League with the expenditure in the summertime, I believe we’re in disaster time for Liverpool proper now.”
This era definitely marks Slot’s hardest stretch since taking up from Jurgen Klopp. The previous Feyenoord boss has seen the chances for him to be sacked slashed over the weekend, and he now faces a make-or-break interval.
There’s nonetheless hope that the Reds can rediscover the formidable kind that led them to the title final time period. However there’s a lot that should enhance.
Listed here are 5 key areas the supervisor should handle to show Liverpool’s season round.
Resolve the Salah Conundrum
Maybe probably the most worrying facet of Liverpool’s dip is the type of their talisman, Mohamed Salah. After a sensational 34-goal marketing campaign final season, the Egyptian has struggled to achieve his typical heights. His purpose output is down, his xG rating has plummeted, and his involvement in harmful areas has noticeably decreased.
A part of this stems from structural modifications. The departure of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez has altered the dynamics of Liverpool’s entrance line. With new arrivals nonetheless adjusting, Salah has usually been remoted out broad, unable to use the central zones the place he’s best.
The supervisor should tweak his attacking blueprint to deliver Salah nearer to purpose, whether or not by narrowing his beginning place or by instructing the right-sided full-back to overlap extra aggressively. Salah’s instincts haven’t diminished; he merely wants the system to work in his favour.
Unlock Wirtz’s potential
Few signings generated as a lot pleasure as Florian Wirtz’s £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen. Touted as considered one of Europe’s most artistic midfielders, the German playmaker was anticipated so as to add that one thing particular to the assault.
Up to now, although, his influence has been restricted. Wirtz has proven glimpses of brilliance, however hasn’t but stamped his authority on video games. A lot of that comes right down to adaptation. The Premier League’s depth is a world away from the Bundesliga.
Slot has experimented with Wirtz’s positioning, even utilizing him off the left towards Crystal Palace, however the outcomes had been inconclusive. His pure intuition to float centrally can congest areas and stifle Liverpool’s fluidity, particularly towards compact defensive setups.
To get one of the best from Wirtz, Slot should devise a system that balances freedom with construction, permitting him to create with out compromising midfield stability. If the supervisor can discover that steadiness, Wirtz might but develop into the artistic spark that reignites Liverpool’s title cost.
Get Isak firing
Liverpool’s report signing, Alexander Isak, has the potential to remodel the workforce’s attacking output, however is but to take action. The Swedish striker arrived late in the summertime window following a protracted exit from Newcastle, and his lack of pre-season preparation is exhibiting.
His technical high quality is plain – clever motion, deft link-up play, and composure in entrance of purpose – however the bodily edge required for Slot’s high-tempo system continues to be lacking.
With each recreation now a must-win for the defending champions, getting Isak to peak situation could possibly be decisive. And maybe extra importantly, discovering a steadiness in assault between him and Hugo Ekitike.
The younger Frenchman additionally arrived at Anfield in the summertime, and has to date outperformed his Swedish team-mate.
In consequence, it has demoted Isak to the bench extra usually than he would really like, additionally impacting his match sharpness.
Decide on full-back pairings
Slot’s Liverpool rebuild started with vital funding within the full-back positions. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez arrived for a mixed payment of round £70million, whereas the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Actual Madrid reshaped the defensive construction completely.
But, two months into the marketing campaign, there’s nonetheless uncertainty about who Liverpool’s first-choice full-backs truly are. On the left, Kerkez initially appeared to edge forward of Andy Robertson, beginning many of the early fixtures.
However the younger Hungarian’s rawness has proven by way of – his decision-making underneath strain has been erratic, and a pricey first-half substitution at Burnley highlighted his ongoing adaptation to life at a membership with Liverpool’s expectations.
Robertson, in the meantime, stays a mannequin skilled however is not the untouchable starter he as soon as was. His expertise is invaluable, but moments like his lapse towards Chelsea, permitting Estevao Willian to ghost in for a stoppage-time winner, have underlined that even veterans aren’t proof against scrutiny.
On the best, Conor Bradley has began extra league video games than Frimpong, although neither has but constructed the consistency Slot wants.