LIVERPOOL‘s Premier League title defence has collapsed into a full-blown crisis following their fourth consecutive league defeat.
The reigning champions suffered a shocking 3-2 loss at Brentford on Saturday, extending their disastrous run of form.
This defeat compounds Liverpool’s misery after their first Anfield loss against Manchester United since 2016.
Arne Slot’s side now languishes in sixth place after losing four of their first nine league matches this season.
Liverpool have already matched their total Premier League defeats from last season’s entire title-winning campaign.
This represents a stunning fall from grace for last season’s champions, who finished 10 points clear of Arsenal.
A massive £446 million summer spending spree had made Liverpool overwhelming favourites for a record 21st English title.
Their squad overhaul has backfired dramatically despite breaking their transfer record twice for Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.
Summer signings Hugo Ekitike, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have failed to impress.
Key departures including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz have left the team looking unbalanced.
Early warning signs appeared when Liverpool lost the Community Shield on penalties to Crystal Palace.
Their early season victories relied heavily on late goals, masking underlying performance issues.
Crystal Palace then exposed Liverpool’s flaws with their own late winner in a 2-1 victory.
Defeats at Galatasaray and Chelsea preceded the historic loss to Manchester United at Anfield.
Brentford capitalised on Liverpool’s sloppy defending to leave Slot looking bewildered on the touchline.
New signing Florian Wirtz appears completely out of sync with his teammates.
British record signing Alexander Isak has managed just one goal in eight appearances.
Mohamed Salah has been anonymous and has already been dropped twice this season.
Full-backs Frimpong and Kerkez have struggled defensively against direct opposition tactics.
Even captain Virgil van Dijk has performed below his usual exceptional standards.
The tragic death of Diogo Jota in a close-season car crash has also affected the squad.
Slot admitted he has no solution to counter the direct playing style opponents are using against his team.
“Teams seem have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play, and we haven’t found an answer yet,” he said.
The Dutch manager acknowledged his team cannot compete while conceding so many goals.
Slot suggested the extensive summer changes contributed to their current struggles.
He expressed surprise at losing four consecutive games despite expecting some transition difficulties.
Liverpool have become only the fourth reigning champions to lose four straight matches.
This represents their first four-game losing streak in league competition since February 2021.
Left-back Andrew Robertson offered no excuses ahead of Wednesday’s League Cup match against Crystal Palace.
“In a difficult moment, the only way to get out of it is work even harder, run that bit more and look after yourself that bit better,” he said.
Robertson acknowledged their recent results have been completely unacceptable.
The Scotland international insisted only the players themselves can resolve this crisis.
He emphasised the urgent need for improved performances and greater consistency. – AFP
