Arne Slot has entered the same Liverpool endgame as Houllier & Benitez | OneFootball

In a season marred by error-strewn moments and disjointed displays, Liverpool‘s latest Premier League defeat was perhaps the most emblematic of the lot.

Brighton at 12.30 is a dog of a fixture for those who trekked down from Merseyside. Arguably the least accessible ground in the league (stuck out at Falmer, minimal turnstiles at the away end) and a kick-off time for fans in Tokyo, not Toxeth.

Still, Liverpool away tickets are like golddust and the AMEX visitors’ section was loud and boisterous at kick-off.

The performance from Arne Slot’s team was a 90-minute exercise in extensialism. On the first glorious Saturday of Spring, Liverpool played as if they were already on the beach.

Danny Welbeck’s double, after being snubbed by Thomas Tuchel for the England squad, will get the headlines.

But Brighton peppered Giorgi Marmadashvilli’s goal throughout and were unlucky not to win by more.

Liverpool have lost 10 games in a Premier League season for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign. They’ve lost more league games this year than the eight in the last two seasons combined.

Asked about this in his post-match presser, Slot said: “It is clear that we have lost a lot of points after playing in Europe.

“I have tried to explain a lot of times already why this is, but today we also have to give credit to Brighton. In the second half, they were the better team on the pitch.”

Slot’s straight-talking Dutchness was an asset last year, but it hasn’t done his standing much good with the Anfield faithful this year.

More than adept at identifying the problem, Slot has rarely shown he’s capable of finding the solutions to them in 2025-26.

“As much as I dislike us losing here today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and will always be a difficult one as long as they keep bringing in so many good players.

“But there are other games where we should have picked up more points, like last week against Tottenham. That is far more unacceptable than this.

“But even away at Brighton, a club like Liverpool should be able to get a result.”

It’s less about the result – as Slot says, Brighton away can be a difficult fixture for the best of teams – but the performance was flaccid once again.

“Liverpool lacked a cutting edge,” said Peter Crouch on TNT Sports. “They looked vulnerable.”

Losing Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike is perhaps a mitigation, but this was another step back after Wednesday’s confident display in the Champions League.

The Reds have won just nine of 26 league matches since mid-September. For the Premier League holders with a £400million+ summer spend, it’s nowhere near good enough.

There are special circumstances, of course, Players will still be mourning the death of Diogo Jota, long after it was deemed excuse-worthy by social media empaths.

But Slot is also making the wrong decisions consistently. The sales of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have cost Liverpool attacking intensity, with Cody Gakpo putting in another ineffective display.

Trent Alexander-Arnold might not be enjoying a vintage first season at Real Madrid, but his departure has upset the balance in defence and midfield.

Slot has changed his midfield structure to deal with this, but Ryan Gravenberch is being asked to play two roles at once as things are so stretched.

Alexis Mac Allister has endured a year to forget. Dominik Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s best player, but his support of Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah last year was a crucial part of their build-up play.

Asked to play more centrally, perhaps to support the green-behind-the-gills Florian Wirtz, Liverpool haven’t been nearly as effective from the flanks.

Salah’s dip has been well-documented. Milos Kerkez has started to come good, but no other member of Liverpool’s defence has performed well enough this season.

A lot of marginal changes have worked against Slot’s team this year. But it feels like the Dutchman has entered the same endgame as Gerard Houllier in 2004 and Rafa Benitez in 2010.

Neither were hounded out, but there was a resignation long before the end of those seasons and a sentiment that change was needed.

Slot’s task will be to ensure Champions League football at Anfield for his successor. With Aston Villa and Chelsea out-of-form, this is well within Liverpool’s grasp.

But Liverpool need to fix their predictability out wide, midfield vulnerability and defensive stupor if they’re to challenge for the Premier League title in 2026-27.