The Big Question: Are Liverpool going through a blip or something more serious?

SINGAPORE – Sighs of relief would have been heard in the dugout and stadium stands on Oct 22, when Liverpool posted a 5-1 Champions League drubbing of Eintracht Frankfurt.

The timely result certainly eased the pressure on manager Arne Slot, after the Reds’ losing streak of four straight games earlier – a first for the storied club since 2014.

Their return to the English Premier League this weekend is littered with speed bumps, as they could slip to as low as 10th if they lose at Brentford and results elsewhere all go against them.

With three consecutive defeats negating their perfect five-match start to the season, fans and football experts are left to ponder: Are Liverpool going through a rough patch, or is this a sign that things are going south?

Porous defence

The good news is that Liverpool have finally found a way to win after conceding first this season.

The bad news is they continue to concede goals and it is now eight games since they last kept a clean sheet, of which they have just two in 13 games (eight wins, five losses) this term, compared to seven over the same period (11 wins, one draw, one loss) last season.

With Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate’s proven quality and generally dependable at centre-back, it is the wide positions where Liverpool have looked more susceptible this season.

The 2-1 loss to rivals Manchester United on Oct 19 for the Red Devils’ first win at Anfield in 10 years was a case in point. United defender Matthijs de Ligt said post-match: “We knew that Liverpool had weaknesses and that’s their fullbacks.”

So far, Milos Kerkez has looked woefully out of his depth as a long-term replacement for 31-year-old Andy Robertson – who remains an option – at left-back and neither Jeremie Frimpong nor Conor Bradley have looked capable of filling the right-back void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

To compound matters, Frimpong picked up a hamstring injury against Frankfurt.

Further up the field, Liverpool have been too open and easy to play through as they do not seem to be pressing as often or as effectively as they did last season.

Citing “no real great physical presence” in their fullbacks, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher also highlighted the team’s inability to cope with set pieces.

Of the 11 goals they have leaked in eight EPL games, five were from set-plays, which rank them third out of 20 teams in terms of most set pieces conceded.

He added: “Liverpool are just not at the races at all defensively. Until they fix that, they can’t win the league.”

Team selection

Rightly so, Slot has been criticised for his blind faith in underperforming players such as Mohamed Salah and Kerkez while overlooking in-form ones such as Hugo Ekitike and Federico Chiesa.

Kerkez and Salah have started every EPL match this season, but while it is easier to replace the Hungarian left-back now that Robertson is fit for selection again, leaving out Salah, a talisman with 248 goals and 116 assists in 413 games for the club, will be a tougher task.

But the Egyptian goal king has not helped his case this campaign so far.

The 33-year-old is now on his longest drought with Liverpool after enduring seven league games without a non-penalty goal, and his other key metrics such as touches in penalty areas and shots per game are at their worst in the last five seasons.

For an attacker who loves to run at defenders, Salah is increasingly playing with his back to goal and at just 10 per cent, he has the worst success rate among EPL players who have attempted 10 or more dribbles this season.

Former United striker Wayne Rooney said: “I’ve loved watching him. He is a fantastic player, but I think age might’ve caught up. You don’t want to admit it, but it does get you and next thing you’re gone.”

Meanwhile, Ekitike had three EPL goals and one assist in 386 minutes but got just 28 minutes against United, while Chiesa, who had two EPL goals in 63 minutes, made the most of his 18-minute cameo to rack up an assist.

In a 4-3-3 that accommodated their big-money forward signings, Liverpool started Ekitike and Robertson over Salah and Kerkez against Frankfurt, while Chiesa once again came off the bench. It remains to be seen if Slot will be stubborn or sentimental against Brentford.

With Frimpong out for weeks, he also has to mull over whether to start with Bradley or pull the excellent Dominik Szoboszlai from his midfield role into right-back.

Other considerations include where to field €125 million (S$188.3 million) Florian Wirtz, who is finding it hard to challenge Szoboszlai for the No. 10 role but could thrive in the left channel where he also plays for Germany.

Sound transfer policy?

Before this season, Liverpool were regarded as prudent and shrewd buyers with the likes of Salah (€42 million) and Robertson (€9 million) proving to be absolute bargains.

But with their coffers boosted by €219.50 million through the sale of Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah, Ben Gannon-Doak, Caoimhin Kelleher, Tyler Morton and Alexander-Arnold, the Reds went about their transfer business like a lottery winner in a luxury boutique with a club record splurging of €482.9 million.

Slot had correctly identified the need to shore up the fullbacks and signing players can be a gamble at times, but knowing that it would take time for the team to gel with new players, the question is whether he needed to buy so many top attackers, and if the club got their money’s worth?

While €95-million Ekitike has settled in straightaway with six goals and one assist in 12 games and deserves to lead the lines should Slot revert to a one-striker system, the jury is still out on €145-million Alexander Isak, who suffered a groin strain against Frankfurt, as well as Wirtz as they have combined for just one goal and four assists so far.

With the winter transfer window opening on Jan 1, should the Reds enter the market for more defensive reinforcements?

Are the Reds marching as one?

Focus and confidence are precious commodities and sometimes title contenders can experience a blip for no apparent reason, like how Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City lost the title last season after an eight-week funk where they dropped 22 out of a possible 27 points across nine games after seven wins and two draws in their first nine games.

But it is far more damaging for clubs if they also lose their team spirit, and two recent incidents have put Liverpool’s unity under scrutiny.

During the loss to United, van Dijk remonstrated with Kerkez despite having just cleared the ball into the youngster’s face. Former Scotland captain Craig Burley said: “The crowd sees it and I just don’t think that helps the situation. Virgil van Dijk is not leading at the moment. He’s blaming.

“Kerkez is having a bad time, there’s no doubt about it. He’s getting swallowed up by the pressure of going in with these big players in this huge football club with these big expectations, but I don’t think it helps when your captain’s looking at him every two minutes and blaming him or digging him out.”

Three days later against Frankfurt, Salah came off the bench and selfishly went for goal instead of squaring to Wirtz, who is still looking for his first Liverpool goal.

As the German tossed his arms in frustration, fans reacted angrily on X, with @_bubblxs commenting: “Imagine how good we could be if Salah played with Wirtz instead of against him.”

These may be spur-of-the-moment events that show the individuals’ high standards and will to win, but if there is an undercurrent of discontent and players start to turn on one another, then Slot will have a bigger problem on his hands.

It remains to be seen if Slot can pull up their socks in the coming games, and with a visit to City (Nov 9) after Brentford and Aston Villa in the EPL, the boss will need to fix these woes before they become a permanent malaise.