After a blistering start that saw Liverpool win their first seven matches, the season has rapidly unravelled. The 4-1 home defeat by PSV has left the club facing its worst run of form in decades and has intensified scrutiny on manager Arne Slot.
Liverpool have lost nine of 12 games — a sequence not seen since 1953-54 — and suffered three consecutive three-goal defeats for the first time since December 1953. The Reds conceded seven goals at Anfield in five days, a remarkable collapse at a ground that has been a fortress in recent European campaigns. Midfielder Curtis Jones summed up the mood bluntly: “I don’t have the answers, honestly, I don’t. It’s just unacceptable… I’m past being angry inside. I’m at the point now where I just don’t have the words.”
Slot’s early impact — guiding Liverpool to the Premier League title in his debut season and overseeing the best start by a Reds boss in the top flight since he arrived — has not insulated him from criticism as the run has deepened. Former full-back Stephen Warnock told BBC Sport that the worrying trend is a mixture of poor performances and a loss of spirit: “At the moment things are not clicking and it all feels very difficult… there is an apparent lack of fight, which is very hard to see.” He cautioned against knee-jerk reactions but acknowledged the mounting pressure.
The slump followed a dramatic swing in form. After the initial winning run Liverpool lost six of seven matches, briefly steadied with victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid in November, then suffered heavy defeats to Manchester City and Nottingham Forest. The 3-0 loss to Forest left them 12th in the Premier League at that stage, and the PSV result compounded the damage — only their second home defeat in 26 pre-knockout Champions League fixtures.
Slot is now tasked with stabilising the side, climbing the domestic table and rescuing their Champions League campaign. Liverpool had been in reasonable European shape with three wins from four, but the PSV loss leaves them perilously close to the bottom half of their group and facing tough upcoming away fixtures against Inter Milan and Marseille. Domestically, a trip to West Ham is next on the calendar.
Problems highlighted throughout the season remain unresolved. Several high-profile summer signings have struggled to make an impact: record signing Alexander Isak is still searching for his first goal for the club, Florian Wirtz is sidelined with injury and left-back Milos Kerkez has yet to find consistent form. In the PSV game Slot made only two substitutions while trailing, introducing Isak for Hugo Ekitike — who appeared injured — and Federico Chiesa for Ibrahima Konaté on another trying night for the French defender.
One encouraging note from Anfield was Dominik Szoboszlai’s return to a central midfield role. He scored, brought energy and offered an attacking impetus that reinforced the idea his best displays may come from the middle of the park. Still, former captain Steven Gerrard warned of the consequences if improvement does not arrive: “With each defeat it gets closer to being a crisis… There are no excuses for a performance like that at this football club. Unless the manager can find answers and stability in his team, then this situation is going to continue.”
Slot, who has a poor record against PSV — one win in eight meetings (D3 L4) — insists his focus is on fixing the team rather than his own position. “This run is a shock for everyone,” he said. “For the players, for me. I don’t easily shock and it’s very unexpected. We can all do better individually, but that goes for everyone including myself. I need to do better, that’s what I’m trying to do every single day to improve the team.”
Warnock added that the loss of players such as Diogo Jota in the summer has altered squad dynamics and complicated the picture. “It is a results-driven industry and at the moment Liverpool are losing games very heavily and the signs aren’t that they are changing,” he said.
Fans want answers and quick improvements, but the route out of this slump is unclear. Slot must find tactical clarity, restore confidence and coax underperforming signings into form if Liverpool are to salvage the season at home and in Europe.
