A turbulent fortnight has left Liverpool in unfamiliar territory. Arne Slot’s side have stumbled into an alarming run of defeats that leave the champions at serious risk of falling out of contention.
After successive losses to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford, the Dutchman is already under pressure.
The defending champions sit seven points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, and while there’s still a long road ahead, the momentum that carried them through the first months of the campaign has suddenly vanished.
It is a worrying situation, and something former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher has dubbed “crisis mode.”
He said: “To see the champions lose 4 games in a row in the Premier League with the expenditure in the summer, I think we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now.”
This period certainly marks Slot’s toughest stretch since taking over from Jurgen Klopp. The former Feyenoord boss has seen the odds for him to be sacked slashed over the weekend, and he now faces a make-or-break period.
There is still hope that the Reds can rediscover the formidable form that led them to the title last term. But there is a lot that needs to improve.
Here are five key areas the manager must address to turn Liverpool’s season around.
Solve the Salah Conundrum
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of Liverpool’s dip is the form of their talisman, Mohamed Salah. After a sensational 34-goal campaign last season, the Egyptian has struggled to reach his usual heights. His goal output is down, his xG ranking has plummeted, and his involvement in dangerous areas has noticeably decreased.
After gameweek five, Liverpool were top of the PL:
▪️5 points ahead of Arsenal & Spurs
▪️7 points ahead of Chelsea
▪️8 points clear of City & United
Now after gameweek nine:
▪️7 points behind Arsenal
▪️2 behind Spurs
▪️1 behind City & United
▪️1 ahead of Chelsea
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) October 27, 2025
Part of this stems from structural changes. The departure of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez has altered the dynamics of Liverpool’s front line. With new arrivals still adjusting, Salah has often been isolated out wide, unable to exploit the central zones where he’s most effective.
The manager must tweak his attacking blueprint to bring Salah closer to goal, whether by narrowing his starting position or by instructing the right-sided full-back to overlap more aggressively. Salah’s instincts haven’t diminished; he simply needs the system to work in his favour.
Unlock Wirtz’s potential
Few signings generated as much excitement as Florian Wirtz’s £116m arrival from Bayer Leverkusen. Touted as one of Europe’s most creative midfielders, the German playmaker was expected to add that something special to the attack.
So far, though, his impact has been limited. Wirtz has shown glimpses of brilliance, but hasn’t yet stamped his authority on games. Much of that comes down to adaptation. The Premier League’s intensity is a world away from the Bundesliga.
Slot has experimented with Wirtz’s positioning, even using him off the left against Crystal Palace, but the results were inconclusive. His natural instinct to drift centrally can congest spaces and stifle Liverpool’s fluidity, especially against compact defensive setups.
To get the best from Wirtz, Slot must devise a system that balances freedom with structure, allowing him to create without compromising midfield stability. If the manager can find that balance, Wirtz could yet become the creative spark that reignites Liverpool’s title charge.
Get Isak firing
Liverpool’s record signing, Alexander Isak, has the potential to transform the team’s attacking output, but is yet to do so. The Swedish striker arrived late in the summer window following a protracted exit from Newcastle, and his lack of pre-season preparation is showing.
His technical quality is undeniable – intelligent movement, deft link-up play, and composure in front of goal – but the physical edge required for Slot’s high-tempo system is still missing.
With every game now a must-win for the defending champions, getting Isak to peak condition could be decisive. And perhaps more importantly, finding a balance in attack between him and Hugo Ekitike.
The young Frenchman also arrived at Anfield in the summer, and has so far outperformed his Swedish team-mate.
As a result, it has demoted Isak to the bench more often than he would like, also impacting his match sharpness.
Settle on full-back pairings
Slot’s Liverpool rebuild began with significant investment in the full-back positions. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez arrived for a combined fee of around £70million, while the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid reshaped the defensive structure entirely.
Yet, two months into the campaign, there’s still uncertainty about who Liverpool’s first-choice full-backs actually are. On the left, Kerkez initially appeared to edge ahead of Andy Robertson, starting most of the early fixtures.
But the young Hungarian’s rawness has shown through – his decision-making under pressure has been erratic, and a costly first-half substitution at Burnley highlighted his ongoing adaptation to life at a club with Liverpool’s expectations.
Robertson, meanwhile, remains a model professional but is no longer the untouchable starter he once was. His experience is invaluable, yet moments like his lapse against Chelsea, allowing Estevao Willian to ghost in for a stoppage-time winner, have underlined that even veterans aren’t immune to scrutiny.
On the right, Conor Bradley has started more league games than Frimpong, though neither has yet built the consistency Slot needs.
