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Liverpool's slump deepens as tactical flaws and key absences take toll
Liverpool's reign as Premier League champions has hit a stark downturn, with the club now languishing in eighth place after 11 games-a dramatic fall from their early-season promise. Over the past six league matches, the Reds have managed just three points, a return worse than all but bottom-placed Wolves. The crisis comes despite a summer spending spree exceeding £400 million, raising questions about whether new manager Arne Slot can reverse the slide.
Defensive disarray: How Alisson's injury and Alexander-Arnold's exit reshaped Liverpool's build-up
The absence of two pivotal figures-Trent Alexander-Arnold, now at Real Madrid, and injured goalkeeper Alisson Becker-has disrupted Liverpool's foundational play. Alisson's replacement, left-footed Giorgi Mamardashvili, has altered the team's distribution patterns. Unlike Alisson, whose right foot naturally directed play toward defensive lynchpin Virgil van Dijk, Mamardashvili's left-foot preference funnels passes to the right side, where Ibrahima Konate and right-backs Conor Bradley or Jeremie Frimpong operate.
Opponents have exploited this shift. By pressing Liverpool's left flank-where Van Dijk's influence is now stifled-teams force the Reds into their weaker right-side build-up. Without Alexander-Arnold's two-footed creativity and risk-taking passes, Liverpool struggle to escape pressure. Data from the 9 November loss to Manchester City revealed how Mamardashvili's pass map skewed heavily rightward, leaving the team predictable and vulnerable.
Salah's diminished impact: A symptom of structural breakdown
Last season, Mohamed Salah thrived in a right-flank trio with Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai. Alexander-Arnold's inward movement from right-back dragged markers away, creating space for Salah to receive the ball in stride-facing forward, with time to dribble or shoot. This season, however, Liverpool's full-backs hug the touchline, crowding Salah's passing lanes. The Egyptian now often receives the ball under pressure, his back to goal, neutralizing his greatest threats: direct runs and incisive passing.
The midfield has compounded the issue. With Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai occupying advanced roles last season, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister anchored the center, shielding against counters. This season's rotational experiments have left gaps, exposing Liverpool to transitions-a problem exacerbated by Slot's high-pressing system.
Slot's pressing dilemma: Numerical disadvantages and tactical trade-offs
Slot's defensive philosophy centers on maintaining a 'plus-one' at the back-fielding more defenders than the opponent's forwards. While this mitigates direct threats, it sacrifices attacking presence. Liverpool's 4-2-4 press often leaves them outnumbered in midfield, as seen in the early-season loss to Arsenal. The Gunners exploited their numerical advantage in build-up, with Riccardo Calafiori frequently unmarked as a spare man.
Slot adjusted at halftime, switching to man-marking, but the fix was temporary. The Dutchman reverted to his preferred system in subsequent games, leaving Liverpool vulnerable to teams that overload central areas. His reluctance to abandon the 'plus-one' principle-even when it backfires-highlights the tactical rigidities he must address.
Off-field factors and the road ahead
Beyond tactics, Liverpool's struggles extend to set-piece frailties and an inability to handle long balls-a growing Premier League trend. The psychological toll of Diogo Jota's tragic death in October cannot be understated, with Slot acknowledging its impact on the squad. "It's been a difficult period for everyone," he admitted Friday.
Slot's challenge is multifaceted: integrate £400m worth of new talent, restore defensive solidity, and rekindle the attacking fluency that defined Liverpool's peak. The solutions may lie in adaptive pressing, a return to structured midfield coverage, and mitigating the creative void left by Alexander-Arnold. With the season's first third already squandered, time is running short.
