The reigning champions Liverpool have run out of luck

27/10/2025 08:45:00 VictoryVox

Last season, Liverpool lost only 4 games on their path to the Premier League title, but they have already suffered the same number of defeats in just the first 9 matches this season.

The nature of a crisis is the repetition of mistakes in some form that cannot be corrected. Comparing with last season’s Man City, The Kop are facing similar overall problems.

Defensive mistakes

This is reflected in the decline of star players’ form, specifically Mo Salah, Mac Allister, Van Dijk, and Konate. The departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold has also negatively affected the team’s style of play. The defensive system keeps making errors both individually and collectively.

The main difference between the two teams lies in timing: Liverpool’s crisis happened earlier than Man City’s, and they have the ability to fix the problems quicker since they have already added many new signings at the start of the season. However, the red team’s chances of defending their title are doubtful due to the consistent form and resilience of their rivals.

After spending £400 million on major signings this season such as Isak, Florian Wirtz, Ekitike, Kerkez, and Frimpong, it seemed natural to expect a repeat of last season’s dominant performance.

However, the first warning sign was ignored during the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace, when they allowed the opponent to equalize 2-2 at the 77th minute. The defense clearly lost the focus required. This was repeated when they met again in the Premier League at the end of September: Eddie Nketiah scored against Liverpool in the 7th minute of stoppage time.

Liverpool lost to Chelsea in the 6th minute of added time, were defeated by Man United in the 84th minute after Harry Maguire’s header, and the 2-3 loss to Brentford seemed inevitable.

Liverpool has not yet reached the lowest point of their crisis but must quickly fix their mistakes to recover.

Ineffective attack

From being praised for winning with late goals (seen as a symbol of the champion’s patience and character), Liverpool is now criticized for not knowing how to score and win properly.

A notable fact is that three Liverpool players are among the Top 10 Premier League players with the most missed big chances this season: Isak (4), Ekitike (5), and Salah (6). Among these 10 players, Isak is one of two who have yet to score from the big chances created.

Salah’s form has clearly been affected by Alexander-Arnold’s departure. Last season, he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 29 goals, scoring a total of 34 goals and providing 25 assists across all competitions.

After 13 games this season, number 11 has 4 goals and 3 assists. During Liverpool’s 4 consecutive losses, the 33-year-old striker averages less than one shot per game (compared to 3.2 shots per 90 minutes last season), and zero successful dribbles (compared to 1.3 last season). Salah’s football quality is not purely individual.

The arrival of Isak, who ranked second in the Premier League scoring chart last season (23 goals), was supposed to strengthen Liverpool’s attack and share the burden with Salah. Wirtz was expected to do the same. But so far, the opposite is happening. They keep disappointing, failing to score match after match.

Liverpool outcompeted Europe’s biggest clubs to secure both stars, but they have not had the positive impact expected. This is due to Slot’s playing system. Instead of finding support for Salah, he tries to reduce number 11’s influence by using other forwards, which has not yielded results.

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