Alarm bells are ringing amongst Liverpool supporters, and rival fans are rubbing their hands with glee after the Premier League champions continue their dreadful run of form.
Liverpool have now lost their last four league matches following a perfect start to their title defence, with five wins in their first five league fixtures.
Add their League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, and some fans are in panic after watching their team experience the 6th-worst Premier League start by reigning champions in the history of the competition.
Title Defence. Worst Performing Champions’ Starts to EPL Seasons
However, is it really as bad as it seems? They are only two points off the Champions League qualification spots, seven points behind leaders Arsenal (with 29 games remaining).
They are only outside the Champions League automatic knockout qualification zone due to goal difference.
Add the fact that they have suffered some key injuries and a few out-of-form players, most of whom will be returning to action soon, and it really isn’t all that bad.
Liverpool’s next three games are at home to Aston Villa (EPL) and Real Madrid (UCL) followed by a trip to Manchester City who are only one point ahead of them in the league and a single point ahead in the Champions League.
If Liverpool win against Villa, Madrid and City, all will be forgotten, and their current poor run will just be remembered as a mere blip.
However, a loss against an improving Aston Villa team and an ever-threatening Real Madrid side, Liverpool fans will rightly start to doubt their team and its manager.
It will be an interesting couple of weeks for Liverpool fans and rivals alike.
Likeable Liverpool manager Arne Slot has taken full responsibility for Liverpool’s run of poor form. However, the Dutchman has blamed his latest defeat, a three-nil home loss to Crystal Palace, on having a squad that is too small as well as four key injuries.
“We don’t have such a big squad as people might tell.” Arne Slot (Liverpool Manager)
It is common for top teams to rest players for League Cup matches. Still, many of the Liverpool manager’s increasing number of critics say that he didn’t involve enough key players, which contributed to the performance and the resulting defeat.
With huge games against Real Madrid and Manchester City looming, Slot will be under tremendous pressure to turn things around quickly.
If Liverpool lose the next three or four games, there will be massive pressure on the club owners to sack the Premier League-winning manager.
Speaking to Sky Sports TV following the match, Slot said: “Last time we played Southampton here for the League Cup, Giovanni Leone got injured.”
“We don’t have such a big squad as people might tell (we) mainly have 20 players.”
“So then if we have four injuries. I only have one right fullback. Are you willing to take that risk if such a big week is coming up?”
“If one of them was injured people would have said what a stupid choice. Also with them it was very difficult for us with our starters to beat Palace.”
I genuinely understand Slot’s points. However, when a team is on such a poor streak of bad results, they must get back to winning ways to boost confidence throughout the squad, regardless of the competition they are playing in.
Liverpool have been dumped out of the League Cup after losing 3-0 at home to Crystal Palace, causing dismay for their worldwide fanbase.
After a simply superb title-winning season in the Premier League last time around, the 2025/26 season is causing many Liverpool fans concern following an alarming set of results in recent weeks.
When the summer transfer window slammed shut, most pundits, fans and journalists believed Liverpool had just completed a near-perfect selection of high-quality transfer deals.
LFC Transfers
However, the Premier League Champions have now lost their last four league games in a row and have now been knocked out of the Cup by Crystal Palace. Disaster.
After beating title rivals Arsenal at Anfield, most observers believed it was business as usual, as Liverpool defeated a well-organised Gunners team set up in a defensive formation. Liverpool passed the test.
“Our reaction must start now.” Virgil van Dijk
Many fans are becoming worried that their new signings, formations, and results are resulting in what many see as a short-term crisis.
In contrast, others believe the problems are deeper than a blip in league results.
Captain Virgil van Dijk has issued a rallying cry to fans, players and staff alike in an attempt to turn things around and return to winning ways.
Speaking on the Liverpool FC Official Website, the Dutch international defender said, “Our reaction must start now.
“Anfield needs to be a place that no team wants to come to, and for that we need everybody, players, staff and supporters to be at their very best.”
Should Liverpool win their next league game at home to Aston Villa, the confidence levels could very well begin to return amongst fans and players alike.
However, a failure to get three points against an improving Villa side could seriously add to the pressure on manager Arne Slot.
“Our reaction must start now.” Virgil van Dijk
The Liverpool boss believes many teams have worked out effective tactics to beat his star-studded squad.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Slot said: “It is definitely that teams have a certain playing style against us.”
The Dutchman added, “It is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet.”
Whilst the manager is undoubtedly working on tactics to overcome Liverpool’s next opponents, some pundits are not entirely confident they can.
“Slot’s long-ball comments are a big concern.” Paul Merson
In fact, former Arsenal legend Paul Merson does not rate the Liverpool manager’s comments to the media.
“I didn’t like Arne Slot’s comments about not being able to handle long balls and then the low block.
“They just bought Florian Wirtz in for over £100m to get past 10 players behind the ball.”
Liverpool also has the best centre-back in the world in Virgil van Dijk. That’s why Slot’s long-ball comments are a big concern,” added Merson. (Source: Sky Sports)
“We have a fantastic manager so I don’t see any trouble.” Federico Chiesa
Liverpool’s in-form maestro, Federico Chiesa, is more optimistic, however.
Speaking in the Guardian, the Italian international said: “We’re not winning. I always think positively, and I hope we’re going to bounce back.”
Chiesa added, “We have the quality and the players to do so, and we have a fantastic manager so I don’t see any trouble.”
Liverpool have such a strong squad, a great manager as well as a superb set of fans. That is why, in my opinion, I think that they will turn things around over the next two or three league games. If they don’t, then Anfield could become a very nervy place for fans and players alike.
Liverpool are having a nightmare patch of form and, following their home defeat to Manchester United, questions are being asked about the EPL champions’ chances of winning the league as well as the performance of their expensive squad and popular manager.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that he is concerned that his team have now lost four matches in a row following their disastrous defeat at the hands of a struggling rivals, Manchester United.
Speaking at the post-match press conference following the 2-1 home loss, Slot stated that “There are concerns. If you lose four times in a row, you have to have concerns.”
The Premier League Champions’ manager went on to attribute United’s low block and long-ball team tactics to his team’s painful defeat, but still thinks that his team should have overcome such negative tactics.
“If you had told me before the game that against the low block, against the team that plays so many long balls, we would have created as many chances as we did, I would not have expected us to lose this game,” added the Dutchman.
A defiant Slot went on to say that his team had enough chances to win, but the defeat concerned him and that losing four times in a row will definitely have an impact on his high-quality team’s chances moving forward.
Liverpool have a UEFA Champions League game on Wednesday, which he will see as a great chance to get Liverpool back on track and get a much-needed victory against Eintracht Frankfurt to stop the slide.
Personally, I think that this is a mere blip. However, one or two more defeats could see Slot and his team under some serious pressure as they contiinue to slip behing title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City in the race to become champions of England.
At the start of the 2022/23 English Premier League season, fans of Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal were all full of excitement after their clubs signed new centre-forwards.
These three players weren’t meant to be squad players; they were signed to be the main men of their teams’ attacking lineups – the star attackers.
Erling Haaland moved from Borussia Dortmund to Manchester City in a deal worth £51 million. Practically every club in the world would have liked to have signed this youngster who is being touted as potentially the future best player in the world.
Luckily for City fans, he chose to work under Pep Guardiola at the club where his father was once a player and, more importantly, for the club that he actually supports.
City triggered the 21-year-release-old’s clause but reportedly paid a lot more than that after agent fees, a signing bonus, and other costs. The total is said to be around £85m.
Darwin Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica for a club-record £85 million. The Uruguayan forward signed a six-year deal at Anfield. Last season, the 22-year-old scored 34 goals in all competitions for Benfica.
After narrowly missing out on an incredible quadruple last season, Liverpool fans were desperate to see their team strengthened ahead of the new season with the likes of Spurs, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all spending big in the transfer market.
Add to the fact that Liverpool lost one of their best players in Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich, Liverpool were desperate for a new star centre-forward, and hopes were high after Nunez was announced as the new Liverpool striker.
Gabriel Jesus signed a long-term deal with Arsenal after leaving Premier League champions Manchester City for £45 million.
Many football supporters saw this signing as potentially one of the best of the summer transfers in England.
However, there was a risk as Jesus wasn’t the first-choice striker during his time at City and didn’t start enough games to be classed as their main man.
It would be quite easy to argue that Jesus becoming the main man in the Arsenal attack would be enough to motivate him to hit an impressive goalscoring target, and so far, he has seriously impressed.
Source: WhoScored.com
So, who is the best between Haaland, Jesus and Nunez? We are only six games in, but we have learned a lot about all three players.
Haaland has scored a whopping ten league goals in just six matches, which is an incredible tally and, should he continue at this rate, will walk the golden boot this season and score the most goals out of any Premier League striker by far.
I believe that only Harry Kane has any chance of keeping up with him, but it will be a very tall order.
Jesus has started really well, scoring three league goals and setting up another three for his team. Arsenal fans and pundits alike have been very impressed with the Brazilian, who is still only 25 years old.
Nunez, on the other hand, has had a tricky start to his Liverpool career, getting himself sent off against Crystal Palace and showing that he has the potential to explode during a match and lose his head.
However, on the other hand, this shows that Nunez has heart, passion and aggression and, if controlled, could be beneficial to his game and to Liverpool as a team. He has scored already this season and will be looking to improve his tally and get his team back on track after a rather disappointing start to the season.
All in all, I think that Halland is the main man of the three. He is just a monster in attack with a ruthless and clinical streak which will put fear into any defence that he will face this season.
I believe that Jesus is second best, and for me, his aggressive style and the way he harassed defenders is a great way of complimenting his goals and assists. He really is a hit at Arsenal.
The jury is out on Nunez as he missed three matches for his red card offence. Unfortunately for him, he comes last out of the three strikers but hopefully, he will find his feet quickly and get back on track for what will surely be one of the best Premier League seasons in history.
