Liverpool’s 2024-25 Premier League title win has been quickly forgotten by a dreadful couple of months that has seen Arne Slot’s side lose five of their last six league games, while Arsenal pull away at the top of the table.
The 3-0 defeat to Erling Haaland and his Man City back-up dancers at the Etihad on Sunday (November 9) was the latest, leaving their early title hopes in danger of fizzling out before they even really got going.
So, is there any hope, or are Liverpool’s dreams of retaining the Premier League title for the first time in their history already over?
Just how bad have Liverpool been?
It’s an odd one. Slot’s side had the perfect start, with seven straight wins across all competitions, a run that saw them beat the likes of Newcastle, Atletico Madrid, and even their biggest title challengers, Arsenal.
There were a few red flags, however, even Jamie Carragher said that they weren’t playing like a ‘top team’ often having to rely on dramatic late winners and moments of magic, like the Dominik Szoboszlai freekick in the 1-0 win over Arsenal.
Winning goals against Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley, Atletico Madrid, and Southampton all came after the 80th minute. Fantastic for the highlight reels and Liverpool fans in the moment, but ultimately unsustainable.
Liverpool found out the hard way. Six straight defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United, Eintracht Frankfurt, Brentford and to Palace (again) followed, killing any momentum and any talk of a title win.
There have been a couple of false dawns. Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Real Madrid, in which they dominated one of the best sides in Europe, having created four big chances, generated 2.51xG, and had 17 total shots, was followed by a comfortable win over Aston Villa.
What are their numbers looking like?
From an attacking perspective, they’re not too bad. Liverpool have the highest average possession in the league at 60.7%, they’re fourth in terms of big chances created with 33, only behind Chelsea, Man City, and Crystal Palace.
Slot’s side aren’t as clinical as they once were, in fact they’ve missed the most big chances with 24, scoring 1.6 goals per 90 minutes compared to their 2.3 last season. Worrying considering they broke the British transfer record twice on new attackers.
Where it all falls apart is in defence. Liverpool have made the second fewest number of tackles in the Premier League, which isn’t too abnormal for a side that dominates the ball as much as they do, but the optics aren’t great.
Watching Liverpool, one of the things you can’t miss is how much their defenders back-off, allowing opposition attackers to run at them rather than move in to make a tackle. That’s all well and good if they defend as a unit, but they haven’t been doing that effective enough. Moises Caicedo’s goal is proof of that.
The midfield is a worry too. Ryan Gravenberch has been a standout, but his role has changed and he’s being used a little further forward leaving huge gaps in behind, no longer prioritising winning the ball back, making 16 tackles, committing six fouls, 32 recoveries, and winning possession in the final third three times.
Slot has some tough decisions to make
Mohamed Salah is no longer undroppable, with his lack of defensive output proving to be more of a liability now he’s not scoring or assisting as freely as he once was.
Liverpool spent all that money on new forwards in the summer, but in the defeat to City, brought the only two off that started, reverting to attacking players that had been there for the good times.
Ekitike, who is by far the best of the bunch, will likely be played out of position to help facilitate Alexander Isak, who is unfit and yet to show why Liverpool splashed £125 million on him. Perhaps Slot should just stick with the Frenchman, for now at least.
He needs to work out what to do with Ibrahima Konate too. Liverpool have few options at the back with Giovanni Leoni out for the season with an ACL injury, leaving Joe Gomez as the only potential stand in, meaning the Frenchman will likely play every game despite his patchy form.
Konate’s contract situation appears to have affected him. His current deal will expire at the end of this season, and Real Madrid are said to be hoping to pull off a similar deal to the one that saw them sign Trent Alexander-Arnold. Maybe signing a replacement in January and moving him on is for the best.
Verdict
Sitting down in 8th, below Man United, with 18 points from their 11 games, eight off league leaders Arsenal simply isn’t good enough. No side has gone on to win the league from that position in the competition’s history.
It feels like it’s out of Liverpool’s hands at this point. Arsenal’s reliance on set pieces and Man City’s reliance on Erling Haaland probably aren’t sustainable either. There will come a time when their fellow Premier League sides work out how to play against them.