Slot, Drop and Roll – What Caused the Fire That Is Destroying Liverpool?
By David Best
(Note: this article was written prior to Liverpool’s two consecutive victories against Brighton and Tottenham).
Unbelievably, approaching the halfway point in the 25/26 season, Liverpool sit 10th in the table, with only a handful of wins to speak of. If this form continues, it will be known as one of the biggest shock downfalls in English football history.
How can a club go from such a dominant and convincing Premier League title victory, to being beaten 3-0 at home by a team fighting relegation and sitting below one of the newly promoted sides after 15 matches played? Is it the manager? The players? Ownership?
This article is a breakdown of what I believe to be the main causes of Liverpool’s howler of a season so far.
The Summer Signings
Over the course of the 2025 summer transfer window, it is fair to say that Liverpool broke the bank with their spending. Breaking the Premier League transfer record twice during the summer, first on German playmaker Florian Wirtz for £116.5 million, then on Swedish superstar Alexander Isak for an eye-watering £125 million.
This is not evening mentioning over £200 million spent on signing Hugo Ekitike to support the attacking side, as well as Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez as right back and left back respectively to bolster the defense.
Young star center-half Giovanni Leoni was also brought in to begin what looked to be a very promising career but suffered a worst-case scenario ACL tear during his debut for Liverpool in September and is unlikely to make an appearance again this season.
So, What on Earth Happened?
In fairness, it is hard to put a finger on one specific issue, as it seems as though the team has fallen apart from all directions.
New Players underperforming?
Simply put, yes. The only new signing who has hit the ground running at Anfield is Ekitike, currently the team’s leading goalscorer having netted 5 times so far in the Premier League.
The rest have been a disappointment to say the least with Isak netting once and struggling for fitness, Frimpong remaining chronically injured, Kerkez struggling under the weight of the Liverpool shirt and Wirtz failing to register a single goal contribution[2].
The players?
It is clear to see that several Liverpool regular starters are not exactly covering themselves in glory this season.
Mohammed Salah, club legend, the Liverpool icon who found form under Klopp and has established himself as one of the greatest to ever don the badge has found himself benched three times in three games – not even travelling with the squad to play Inter Milan after a bombshell interview where he called out both the club and the manager.
Alisson, the stalwart keeper who has been consistently one of the world’s best has struggled with injury this season, and been uninspiring when fit.
Van Dijk and Konate. These two are probably the biggest let downs of the season when talking about those who you expect so much from. Both have conceded a penalty each and have been a shadow of their former selves.
The Manager?
Yes, I believe that the main blame for the downfall this season has to go to Arne Slot himself. The biggest issue in the opinions of many is his choice of starting IX.
Primary to this issue is his refusal to give starts to Frederico Chiesa, who has been arguably their best player when he has been subbed on.
Chiesa leads the team in Blocks per 90, Tackles per 90, xG + xA per 90, Shots on target, Shots in general, xG per 90. The list goes on, yet bafflingly he is not being played. [3]
Instead, he is favouring Cody Gakpo as starter on the left flank. While Gakpo shows flashes of quality and has bagged 4 goals so far this season, his defensive work leaves much to be desired. To make it all the stranger, Slot’s footballing system is one that involves structured, high intensity pressing with every player on the field expected to put in the work defensively.
This was not an issue last season with now departed Luis Diaz being the starting left winger. Diaz was known for his relentless back tracking and pressing ability, second only to Curtis Jones last season for winning possession in the opposition’s final third. Not to mention his quality going forward is definitely ahead of Gakpo’s as Diaz also led the team in successful dribbles per 90, penalties awarded and was the second highest goal scorer behind Salah. [4]
[5]
While we can criticise players and managers all we like, we must not forget the tragic passing this summer of Diogo Jota. The super sub was a core part of the team and a big personality in the dressing room. Salah in particular was very close to him, and the shocking and sudden death of such a presence cannot be ruled out as a factor to the team’s underperformance this season.[6]
References
- https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-match-coverage/75902/liverpool-crystal-palace-premier-league-arne-slot-set-pieces-defense
- https://www.fotmob.com/leagues/47/stats/season/27110/players/goals/team/8650/liverpool
- https://www.fotmob.com/players/784510/federico-chiesa
- https://www.fotmob.com/players/860914/luis-diaz
- https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2025-07-03/liverpool-forward-diogo-jota-dies-in-car-accident (image of Diogo Jota)
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/clyn11lyxwdo
