ALL eyes were on Liverpool at the start of this season as they appeared as favourites to defend their Premier League title.
On top of last year’s dominance under manager Arne Slot, the Reds invested heavily over the summer, bringing names like Hugo Ekitike, Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz into the dressing room.
But as we enter the November international break, it has become clear that Slot’s ambitious effort to integrate so many new stars has created problems for his side’s identity.
Liverpool currently sit eighth in the Prem table after 11 games, and have already picked up more losses than they managed in their title winning season.
The warning signs were on show even during their five-game unbeaten run to start the season, but when their string of late winners dried up, the cracks started to show, and they have now lost five of their last six league games.
So what has gone so wrong for Slot and his team?
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First and foremost among his concerns will be the declining form of leaders Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk, who have both seemed a shadow of their former selves since signing contract extensions over the summer.
The pair have naturally attracted the most criticism as Liverpool’s most recognisable stars, but their struggles are indicators of the wider issues plaguing the Reds this season.
Liverpool are wide open to counter attacks
Since Brazilian star Fabinho‘s departure in 2023, Liverpool have struggled to find a ‘controller’ in the base of their midfield.
Ryan Gravenberch‘s emergence last season looked to be the answer as he helped dictate play in both directions in the middle of the pitch.
This season, however, the Dutchman has found himself isolated in midfield, before being flooded by the opposition when the side face quick counter attacks.
The abundance of free space and time in the midfield has caused Liverpool issues time and time again in recent months, leaving central defenders Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate exposed on multiple occasions.
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Given how much of their success came from how dominant they were at controlling all phases of play last campaign, it has been a shock to see how chaotic and end-to-end their matches have become in such a short space of time.
In the above image we can see the lack of structure in central areas while Liverpool scramble to defend a counter attack.
Both full backs have pushed forward and been caught high after the turnover, and, combined with the team’s lack of presence in central areas, this allows the attackers to very easily stretch the defence and create passing angles.
The size and athleticism of Van Dijk or Konate means that they have been able to deal with similar scenarios in the past, but the rate at which they are giving up these opportunities and the apparent lack of confidence in the back line has made these situations a real problem for Liverpool.
While the lack of a controller in the midfield has not helped this vulnerability, what has really exaggerated the problem is how Liverpool have pushed their full-backs into forward areas this season.
This has led to a lack of cover when the opposition win the ball back, with the central defenders forced to cede space to the wingers by staying narrow or open up central areas by coming across to cover the space left by the full-backs.
Here, Chelsea have regained possession and are looking to get in behind after having already bypassed Liverpool’s midfield.
The poor positioning of Konate has forced full-back Milos Kerkez to come narrow to cover, leaving acres of space for a pass to Pedro Neto on the far side of the pitch.
Liverpool must fix their structural problems in defence as a priority if they want to re-ignite their title defence.
How do Liverpool fit Alexander Isak?
Swedish striker Isak’s £130million arrival from Newcastle was the biggest transfer saga of the summer, dragging on all the way to the final day of the window before he was finally announced.
But he was not Liverpool’s first big forward signing of the window, having brought in £79million French hitman Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt in July.
Fans at the time wondered how Slot would find a way to work both men into his attacking plans.
The answer to that question so far this season has been: With great difficulty.
Injury issues have plagued the Swede so far, and Ekitike’s strong early-season form made him impossible to drop, even for someone as expensive as Isak.
But when the pair are fit, it is hard to imagine either being able to recapture their past effectiveness while being forced onto the left wing to accommodate the other.
But as Isak returns to fitness, the Dutch boss is still yet to find a way of getting the best out of Isak while not neglecting the output of Ekitike.
One way Isak has been deployed is to sit on the shoulder of the defenders on the other side of the pitch from where the possession is, forcing them to stay with him and, in theory, opening up more space for other players around the ball.
But this negates one of Isak’s biggest strengths, having the technical quality to drop back between the lines to receive the ball and help his team build up.
His mobility and positional sense mean he is often most threatening when given the license to roam, allowing him to best use his wide array of talents.
Would Liverpool be more effective if they allowed Isak to dictate the play more through his decision making?
Here again Isak is taking up a position on the defensive line as Liverpool look to play through the final third, rather than coming across to get on the ball.
There is an argument that Liverpool could adjust their attacking approach to allow Isak to play in a more free role, similarly to how Roberto Firmino carved out his false nine role at Anfield, in order to get the most out of the Swede.
How should Liverpool use Florian Wirtz?
There have also been struggles with one of Liverpool’s other marquee signings from the summer, German attacker Florian Wirtz, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £115million.
Wirtz has been touted as one of the most promising players in the world in his position, and his performances for Leverkusen in recent years have made it obvious why.
But he has endured a difficult start to life in Liverpool that has left him yet to register a goal or assist in the league so far this season.
This is due in part to him being forced to play in wider areas or drop deep into midfield under Slot, rather than being utilised in the more traditional role of an attacking central 10, a role in which he excelled in the Bundesliga.
These positions would allow Wirtz to receive the ball in tight areas between the lines, before bringing his teammates into play with neat passes or driving on himself.
Wirtz has been forced to drop back to pick up the ball near his own midfield and help build up from deeper areas, when he would best be utilised by staying high and used as a receiving option for line breaking passes.
This could be addressed by allowing Isak the freedom to drop deeper and combine with Wirtz in those areas, allowing the German to push forward and exploit the pockets of space created by defenders trying to track Isak’s runs.
Wirtz has dropped deep into Liverpool’s midfield line to help with build up, which means the team is not utilising his ability to break through the lines further up the pitch.
There has been a lot of noise surrounding the 22-year-old’s performances so far this season, but we must remember that he is a young player coming to a new league, and arguably the world’s fastest and most physical one at that.
Add to this that he is having to adapt to a new role from where he excelled in his home nation and it becomes clear why he hasn’t kicked on yet at his new home.
For Wirtz to return to the levels that we have seen in recent years, Liverpool need to find a way to use him in a way that gets the best out of his profile, and in a way that is consistent enough to allow him to acclimatise to his new surroundings.
The sum of it all
There is plenty of season left for Liverpool to troubleshoot their issues and regain the dominance and efficiency that carried them to last season’s title.
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It boils down to finding a way to shore up their defensive structure to allow Van Dijk and Konate the room to showcase their athleticism and talent.
While in the attack, unlocking the balance between forward-minded stars Ekitike, Isak and Wirtz will make them far more able to pull apart defences, with the added benefit that doing so would provide other stars like Salah the platform to return to their former selves.
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