Liverpool are in crisis. And Arne Slot doesn’t appear to know how to get them out of it.
The Reds lost 4-1 to PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday night. It’s their ninth defeat from their past 12 games across all competitions. Liverpool are also on a three-game losing streak, conceding 10 goals and scoring just once in that run.
Slot may have had credit in the bank following last season’s title success. But to say the pressure is now on the former Feyenoord coach would be an understatement.
Steven Gerrard said it best when appearing as a pundit on TNT Sports: “It must feel like deja vu for Liverpool fans right now.”
There’s a script when it comes to Liverpool matches this season. They concede an early goal and then have to chase the game. There will be moments where the Reds look in control but they fail to carve out any real high value chances. And then they’re hit on the break and concede a second.
Slot then brings on more forwards and the team resorts to crossing into a crowded box before picking up second balls and shooting from 20+ yards.
It happened against PSV. The Dutch side took an early lead from the penalty spot, following a moment of madness from Virgil van Dijk. Liverpool equalised after 16 minutes and completely controlled the game, limiting PSV to just one shot in the first half.
Peter Bosz’s side bided their time, though, and struck early in the second half. They then picked off the hosts with goals in the 73rd minute and second-half injury time. While Liverpool had 18 shots in the second half, PSV actually had a higher Expected Goals total (1.42 to 1.38). Just 0.69 of Liverpool’s second-half xG came from open play, highlighting theirs truggles to create anything dangerous despite dominating the ball. Liverpool had to settle for two big chances, kicking towards the Kop on a European night. PSV had four in the second half, and five in total.
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At no point did Liverpool appear to be on top in this game, even when the scores were level. And this has been a problem for Slot’s side all season. The alarming thing is, the Dutch tactician hasn’t figured out a way to fix this.
Liverpool are predictable. In attack, nothing happens. More often than not, his attempted shots are blocked. On the right, Mo Salah often picks up possession when isolated. Against PSV, a game in which the hosts had 27 shots, the Egyptian had just one shot. The Reds tried to get him involved, but the system just no longer facilitates it.
Hugo Ekitike got the nod ahead of Alexander Isak for this game. Although the Frenchman had four shots, he finished with an xG of just 0.49. He was largely feeding off of scraps and then he’d have to create something out of nothing himself.
Liverpool haven’t figured out a way to get either of their new strikers firing. It points to an issue with the system. A system that Slot persists with.
And that, right there, is the issue.
Slot keeps persisting with this. Whatever this is. There are no signs that he’s close to getting it right. Liverpool have had the same problems for months now and he’s yet to come up with a solution or a fix. He’s yet to stick with anything long enough to see whether it might have potential to be a fix.
The Dutchman arrived on Merseyside with a reputation for being ruthless but he’s yet to show that at Liverpool. Poor performances are rewarded. Good ones are ignored. The previous match doesn’t matter and he just tasks them with doing the same thing, over and over again.
The Reds won’t want to part ways with their title-winning manager but how long can this continue? The attack isn’t firing and the defence is a shambles.
At a glance, 3.4 xG Conceded across two matches might not look bad. And conceding seven from these chances might be viewed as unlucky. But it’s not acceptable. Liverpool should not be giving up these chances against the likes of Nottingham Forest and PSV, at home, in consecutive matches.
Once is bad enough. Allowing three or more goals in back to back matches at Anfield points to a number of issues. Issues that go beyond tactics. The situation might be irredeemable for Slot.
The club spent heavily this summer and on current form you’d be lucky to get half the money back for these players. That, ultimately, is a coaching issue. And an expensive one at that. The PSV game was an opportunity for this group of players to send a message. A message that they back the manager and buy into what the plan is. The message they sent, however, was the complete opposite.
