Liverpool’s season is slipping into crisis. After a record breaking summer spend and the expectation that the Premier League title would be defended with authority, the club now sit eighth, their form has collapsed and performances have become increasingly chaotic.
A run of one win in five league games, a defence that looks permanently exposed and Mohamed Salah publicly questioning the manager have all intensified scrutiny on Arne Slot. The question facing Liverpool now is simple; where has Slot gone wrong, and what must he do to repair the damage before the season becomes unsalvageable?
Liverpool: Where Arne Slot Has Gone Wrong this Season
The Summer Window Failed to Address the Right Problems
Liverpool’s biggest error was misreading their priorities. The signing of Marc Guehi should have been completed immediately. It was the most obvious fix the squad needed. A reliable, dominant centre back to partner Virgil van Dijk was essential and delaying the deal until the final stages of the window allowed it to collapse. That miscalculation has defined the season.
Read More: The Best and Worst Players to Wear Liverpool’s Number 9
Giovanni Leoni was a smart long term signing and has been extremely unlucky to suffer a significant injury, but he was never intended to be the single centre back reinforcement. Once Hugo Ekitike arrived, the next step was straightforward. Secure Guehi first, then decide whether further attacking additions were necessary.
Instead, Liverpool pushed ahead for Alexander Isak, a luxury signing rather than a necessity. The result is an unbalanced squad with no defensive stability and two high value strikers competing for one position.
Misuse of the Attack Is Undermining Liverpool’s Strengths
Liverpool now possess two elite central forwards, yet neither is being used properly. Ekitike has shown consistency and impact, including a standout brace against Leeds, while Isak has struggled to replicate his Newcastle form and looks increasingly disconnected within Slot’s system. The problem is not the players, it is the structure.
Slot has at times forced Ekitike into a wide role, which wastes his strengths and disrupts the flow of the attack. Both are central strikers and both should be treated as such. Rotating them is wasteful and playing them out wide is counter productive.
Read More: Best and Worst Liverpool Players to Wear the Number 7 Shirt
A two striker system is the natural solution. A 4,4,2 diamond would allow Ekitike and Isak to operate where they are most dangerous, while opening space for Florian Wirtz or Dominik Szoboszlai to orchestrate play from the tip of the diamond. It also creates clear roles for Gakpo on the left and either Szoboszlai, Wirtz or Mohamed Salah on the right, with Gravenberch driving the midfield from deep. This shape would give Liverpool clarity, directness and an identity that suits the squad’s actual strengths.
Wirtz Needs a System Built Around Him
Wirtz has all the tools to become a generational midfielder, but Liverpool’s current setup does not suit him. His best moments come when he operates centrally, linking play and breaking lines, yet Slot’s hybrid structure drags him between roles and zones that limit his influence. His quality is beyond doubt, but the system must be shaped to amplify his strengths rather than dilute them.
The Defensive Structure Is Broken
Liverpool’s defending has been catastrophic. Ibrahima Konate’s form has collapsed, his confidence is gone and his long term future at the club is increasingly uncertain. Virgil Van Dijk, still intelligent and composed, no longer has the covering speed to protect the vast spaces Slot’s system exposes. The midfield protection is inconsistent and the back line is under constant pressure.
This is a structural issue, not a collection of isolated mistakes. Liverpool needed two centre back’s in the summer. They still need two in January, simply to rebuild the base of the team.
Salah’s Comments Reflect a Deeper Problem
When Salah voices frustration publicly, it carries enormous weight. His leadership has always been grounded, steady and private. Speaking out signals a breakdown of confidence within the dressing room. Liverpool cannot ignore the possibility that Salah may seek a move in January. If that happens, the club must have a replacement already identified. The right wing succession plan was ignored over the summer and cannot be neglected again.
What Slot Must Do to Fix This
Arne Slot still has time to rescue the season, but this can only happen if he changes direction decisively and immediately addresses the structural failures undermining the team. In terms of personnel, Slot must demand that the club complete the signing of Guehi from Crystal Palace as soon as the January window opens. Bringing in the England international would help strengthen the club’s defence, which has been fragile in recent weeks.
Slot needs to change the system and play to the strengths of his attackers. Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak both need to be deployed centrally. The Liverpool boss needs to get the best out of Wirtz and Szoboszlai, and treat them as the team’s creative core.
The Mohamed Salah situation looks irreparable at the moment, with the January transfer window just around the corner. However, if Slot can get the Egyptian back onside and playing well, that would be a huge boost for his team.
Liverpool’s decline is not accidental; it is the outcome of tactical rigidity, recruitment that failed to target essential areas, and a structure that does not align with the profiles already in the squad.
Slot must adapt, innovate, and reassert control. The next few weeks will ultimately determine whether he remains the architect of Liverpool’s future or becomes the latest manager to be overwhelmed by the colossal expectations of Anfield.
Featured Image Credit:
IMAGO / Sportimage
