Liverpool kicked off the 2025/26 campaign with seven wins on the bounce across all competitions. They then headed into the second international break of the season on the back of three successive defeats.
It really has been a case of feast or famine for the Premier League champions this term.
In this article we’ll cover:
The Reds went from eking out wins and showing great mentality to losing two of their last three in stoppage time. There had been question marks over their start to the season with a lot of people doubting how sustainable it was.
As detailed a few weeks ago, everything was being blown out of proportion. Liverpool were creating chances and generally limiting the opposition. All while bedding in a number of fresh faces and trialling a new system.
At the time, it felt like a case of once this clicks for the champions, they’re perfectly set for another title challenge. But with every passing game, instead of things becoming much clearer, the dynamic within the team becomes even more blurred.
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Arne Slot doesn’t know his best XI
The elephant in the room right now is that the Liverpool boss doesn’t really know how to get the best out of the players he has at his disposal. Granted, he’s been put in an unenviable position. While the idea of adding two £100million attackers to your squad is what a lot of people dream of, the reality is very different. Especially when you’re trying to get them up to speed fitness wise while also trying to find a balance that will allow a four-time Golden Boot winner to also thrive.
But Slot, rigid in his approach last year as Liverpool coasted to the title, seems unsure of himself.
Just seven games into the Premier League season and he’s tweaked the system a few times already. He’s also rested Florian Wirtz in a period he needs to be playing as often as he can, to benefit the German maestro and the team in the long-term. Mohamed Salah looks to be wasted in whatever system is utilised by the Reds this term.
The Reds tied Conor Bradley to a long-term, improved deal in the summer and spent £30million on Jeremie Frimpong as they planned for life after Trent Alexander-Arnold, but both have spent time on the bench with Dominik Szobozlai deployed at full-back.
The message isn’t exactly a favourable one when Slot would rather use an attacking midfielder at right-back.
Full-back issues creating full-team problems
But Liverpool’s struggles this term are tied to the full-back situation. The Reds have tweaked their build-up patterns in an attempt to fill the void left by the departure of Alexander-Arnold. Not only that though, they’ve had to adapt to Milos Kerkez starting at left-back over Andrew Robertson.
With these two full-back changes, the Reds lost 400 progressive passing yards on a per 90 basis. That is a significant decrease. With the full-backs no longer getting the ball forward as often as they used to, there’s more of a burden on other players. But the new shape, which sees Wirtz roam as an attacking midfielder, isn’t quite as rigid as last term. And this has limited the ball-playing options when playing out from the back.
For example in the 14th minute against Galatasaray, Konate doesn’t have that many passing options on to him. In the end, he tries to clip a ball over the top for Hugo Ekitike but gets it all wrong and the hosts regain possession easily. Last season, Szoboszlai likely would’ve been in the acres of space between the striker and Salah. Konate could’ve threaded a pass into him. The lack of passing options would explain why the Frenchman’s progressive passing numbers have dropped by almost 100 yards per 90 this term.
Knock-on effects in midfield
There’s also more of a burden on Gravenberch due to Kerkez’s tendencies to pass inside rather than look for players down the line. The No. 38 has to vacate the middle third to offer himself as an option for the left-back and then, as a result of this, the Reds are wide open centrally during turnovers in possession. It’s likely why the Reds have kept just two clean sheets all season.
Kerkez just isn’t a progressive passer. Nobody can do what Alexander-Arnold does. The new shape limits what Konate is able to do. Gravenberch, for all of his brilliance, is not known as a ball-player. He’s a ball-carrier. The only player who can get the ball into the final third with regularity is Virgil van Dijk.
It makes Liverpool predictable. It turns dominant possession into stagnate possession.
A problem Liverpool have seen before
The most concerning part of all of this is that you could see it coming. Last season, when the wantaway No66 had a stint on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, their threat down the right side diminished massively. Salah, like he is so far this season, was marooned on the right-flank. He was seeing the ball in areas he couldn’t really do any damage in.
Without Alexander-Arnold on the pitch, Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League, lost the Carabao Cup final and were defeated by Fulham. They needed an 89th minute goal to defeat West Ham United at Anfield and it was the right-back who came off the bench to score the winner against Leicester City. He started the 5-1 win over Spurs, the game that clinched the title for the Reds, before starting just one of the final four as Slot’s side lost two and drew two.
Many put that run of form down to Liverpool having already clinched the title, but their momentum slowed right down the minute Alexander-Arnold picked up that injury.
In the final nine games of the Premier League campaign, the right-back started two games. The 5-1 win over Spurs and the 3-1 loss to Chelsea. Liverpool won four of those games, three by the odd goal, while also giving up leads against Arsenal and Brighton.
There are a lot of similarities between that run from last season and how Slot’s side have started the season. It also coincides with Mohamed Salah’s struggles. He finished the record-breaking 2024/25 campaign with two goals in nine. He’s started this season with two goals in seven league outings.
The passing network without Alexander-Arnold in the team last season looks remarkably similar to the team’s passing network this season.
It was always going to be a problem. It’s been exacerbated by the change at left-back meaning there’s no progress on that flank either. If Slot can sort out the full-back situation, this sorts out the lack of progression from the back five. With this fixed, Liverpool should, once again, look dominant and threatening. That should get Isak, Wirtz and Salah firing. Only then will it be more feast than famine.
