Liverpool crisis explained, Mohamed Salah facing axe, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak struggles

Liverpool fans were on top of the world at the end of the summer transfer window.

And with good reason.

The Reds sat top of the table and, with a massive spend of £446 million ($909m) behind them, there was every reason to believe they would be the team to beat again this Premier League season.

Nearly two months later, and they are in a staggering freefall few saw coming.

Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.

“We’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now,” summarised Liverpool great Jamie Carragher after their latest loss.

Arne Slot’s side has now lost four Premier League games on the trot, and after a chastening defeat to Brentford on the weekend, panic is starting to set in.

Not even the players can hide that truth any longer, as captain Virgil van Dijk’s words after defeat to Brentford made clear.

“This is a tough one to take,” he said. “We can’t deny that.

“It’s not an easy moment.

“We were trying to build on that (win) against Frankfurt, and this was not a nice evening to have”.

So where has it all gone wrong for the Reds?

READ MORE

Ange favoured for shock return as manager cops jaw-dropping ‘toxic’ spray from giants in ugly split

‘All over the place’: New low sparks unthinkable ‘crisis’; rival’s $408m turning point — Talking Pts

SOFT TOUCH

In a league where physicality is a big selling point, teams can’t afford to be easily bullied - but that’s what’s happening to Liverpool right now.

The system to beat the Reds has proven simple; play for set pieces and force the champions into a direct, physical battle and you will be rewarded, Carragher noted on Sky Sports.

“Liverpool have to look at the physicality and height within their team because, right now, I don’t think they have enough,” he said.

Within three minutes against Brentford, the Reds were ruthlessly bullied into giving up the first goal. A long throw launched by Michael Kayode, Nathan Collins leaping above Hugo Ekitike to flick on, Dango Ouattara with the finish.

It was almost exactly the same goal scored by Crystal Palace to secure their win over the Reds at Selhurst Park the week before.

This is an all too familiar pattern for the Reds.

The pattern has become all-too-familiar with the Reds notable shaky under the long ball, and at set pieces – and Arne Slot knows it.

“They (Brentford) won more duels than us, they won more second balls than us,” Slot told TNT after losing to Brentford.

“And if you come here and you know if you are going to concede goals, then one of them may be a set-piece, and a counter-attack is also one of their biggest strengths and that’s how we conceded two goals.”

ATTACKING ISSUES ABOUND

Liverpool have signed some of the best attackers in the world to join the likes of Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo at the club. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have been touted as two of the best in the world in their positions over the last couple of years. Meanwhile, Hugo Ekitike has enjoyed a mostly excellent start to his Liverpool career.

However, despite the star power available, the attacking balance appears off.

And central to that balance not working is the fact that Mohamed Salah, is struggling.

The Egyptian is one of the club’s greatest ever footballers, but despite his consolation goal late against Brentford, he’s had an uncharacteristically poor start to the season.

It prompted Carragher to lay out a warning over the 33-year-old winger while speaking on the Gary Neville podcast after last week’s loss to Manchester United.

“I think we’re at that stage now where Mo Salah shouldn’t be a guaranteed starter every week. I do think this is a real conundrum for the manager going forward,” he said.

This is a notion that would have been unthinkable last season. But with only two non-penalty goals so far in the Premier League, it’s becoming harder to argue with.

Indeed, across nearly 10,000 votes in a poll conducted by the Daily Mail last week, more than 70 per cent of responders said Salah should be dropped.

Earlier this month, simply the threat of dropping Salah was something that former Liverpool striker John Aldridge encouraged Slot to employ in a bid to get him firing again.

“The fear of being dropped could be a powerful tool for Arne Slot … if Salah is in something of a slump,” he wrote in the Liverpool Echo.

“Reputations shouldn’t really matter, if you are not at the races then the manager sometimes has a big decision to make and I don’t think Liverpool’s would shirk it if it came down to it, especially with the players he has elsewhere in that forward line.”

Salah’s effectiveness on the ball has excused his lack of defensive work. But without that production, his position in the starting XI comes under question.

NO FALLING BACK ON THE FULL-BACKS

“When I was watching Arsenal vs Atletico, I was watching [Myles] Lewis-Skelly. Obviously Jurrien Timber played, you’ve got Ben White and [Riccardo] Calafiori. I thought all Arsenal’s fullbacks are better than Liverpool’s, all four of them - that’s a big problem for Liverpool.”

This was the brutal assessment of former England right back Gary Neville on the Stick to Football podcast after the Reds’ loss to Brentford.

And while it is scathing, on current form, it’s hard to deny based on the weight of this season.

For years, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were seen as arguably the best full back partnership in the world. Now, however, with the former gone to Real Madrid, and Robertson no longer at the height of his powers, these positions are looking vulnerable.

While Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley are considered excellent players, their passing abilities are a notable downgrade on their predecessors. Last season, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson averaged 49.3 forward passes between them per 90, according to Sqwawka. By comparison, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez have averaged 30.3 between them.

This lack of progression from the back means Liverpool are far easier to pen into their own half. Dominik Szoboszlai’s presence at right back has made some difference, but moving the Hungarian midfielder to right back could be problematic long-term. His ability to lead the press high up the pitch, as well as his physicality in midfield, is valuable and would be missed.

Combine this with defensive mistakes on both sides, and what has traditionally been such a position of strength for Liverpool over the past eight seasons is now looking like an area of concern.

ISSUE WITH $240 MILLION WIZARD

Wirtz has had a slow start to his maiden Liverpool season. The 22-year-old Germany international has no goals and no assists in eight Premier League matches this season, but there are questions over whether Slot is asking him to do a job which doesn’t suit his prodigious talents.

As noted by BBC Sport’s football tactics correspondent, Umir Irfan, Wirtz has had to carry the burden of more defensive work, dropping deep to find the ball which, in turn, has limited the amount of time he spends in advanced positions.

Under Xabi Alonso at his previous club, Bayer Leverkusen, he was used primarily starting as a left-sided attacking midfielder. This meant the diminutive playmaker could pick the ball up in space near the touchline and lift his head with more time on the ball to create opportunities. It was from this position that Wirtz helped inspire Leverkusen’s 23/24 Bundesliga title win.

Now, however, he is being asked to act in a deeper, more central role. Or, as in losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, he’s been relegated to a bench role.

There have been promising flashes, such as in bench cameos or when he provided two assists in Liverpool’s 5-1 over Frankfurt.

Unlocking the best from Wirtz more regularly will be essential to getting the Reds out of their current malaise.

CAN ISAK AND EKITIKE WORK TOGETHER?

When Liverpool fans saw the names coming into their striking department this season, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

However, there’s an argument now that Ekitike and Isak may not be able to coexist in the same team.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney says the big-money Swede, Isak, should have to be made to work to get past Ekitike for the position of Liverpool’s starting number 9.

“I wouldn’t play Isak, he hasn’t looked ready since coming from Newcastle,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show.

“He hasn’t trained, hasn’t had a pre-season. It’s so important. While Newcastle were training, he was probably sat at home on the phone to his agent for six hours a day, trying to get a move.

“It’s so difficult when you don’t have a pre-season. He might’ve done stuff by himself, but he’s paying the price for it.

“On performances, he doesn’t deserve to be playing ahead of Ekitike.”

Former Premier League star Chris Sutton echoed the thoughts from Rooney, saying Isak’s summer stand off at Newcastle has come back to bite.

“It feels like what has happened to him is a case of you reap what you sow,” he said.

“Isak has been short of full fitness and especially sharpness all season anyway, and he did not help himself there by missing training with Newcastle in order to try to force his move to Anfield through.

“He got what he wanted, but now he is trying to play catch-up instead of hitting the ground running because of the time he had off, and that is when you can pick up injuries.

“Isak is too good a player not to eventually start scoring goals but this whole situation has affected Liverpool as a team too, because his lack of fitness is one of the reasons they have not clicked in the final third yet.”

Given Liverpool spent a British record transfer fee of £125 million (A$255m) to bring Isak to Anfield, the fact he’s arrived unready is far from ideal for Slot.

Despite playing poorly against Brentford, Ekitike has shown more than enough quality to retain his place.

Without him in the starting line-up for the games against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Manchester United, Liverpool scored just three goals from chances worth up to 7.61 XG (expected goals).

CAN SLOT TURN IT AROUND?

“You’re getting sacked in the morning!”

It’s a chant that is often heard in the Premier League. But after losing to Brentford, it would’ve been the first time Slot heard it chanted in his direction.

The Reds boss has plenty of credit in the bank after marshalling Liverpool’s title victory last season. However, this response after the Brentford defeat has not gone down well with Liverpool fans.

“Teams have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play against us. And we have not found an answer yet,” Slot conceded.

Unfortunately for the Reds, their task isn’t going to get any easier in the coming weeks.

After a midweek match against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, the Reds face Aston Villa, Real Madrid, and Manchester City in their next three matches.

If Liverpool are to turn it around, they’ll have to do it the hard way.

Click here to read article