Five Premier League tables to illustrate Liverpool’s shocking decline | OneFootball

The actual Premier League standings are damning enough on Liverpool, but these five tables highlight why the champions find themselves in the bottom half…

As you know, we love a table here at F365. Which is why we’ve got bloomin’ loads of them. Go ahead, lose yourself in the majesty of our tables…

Of course, they don’t make happy reading for Liverpool fans right now. The champions are currently a bottom-half side, looking up 10 teams they dominated last season.

Here are five other tables that offer some insights as to how Arne Slot’s wretched Reds have fallen from grace…

1) 18th in the form table

We begin with the simplest of the lot: the form table. Which highlights just how dire Slot’s side have been since their luck ran out.

Over the last six games, Liverpool’s form has been relegation-bad. From 18 points available, they have taken just three. Which they were mostly gifted by a very odd performance by Aston Villa at Anfield.

Only Wolves, with their single point from a dozen games, have conceded more goals, and only the fact that Leeds have scored one fewer goal keeps the Reds above the Whites.

To highlight further how steep their decline has been, Liverpool topped this table after six games. Another six later, they are third from bottom.

2) Joint-bottom for points gained from losing positions

Liverpool were actually not bad in the opening half-hour against Forest. Admittedly, there was little in the way of conviction in the final third, but they were certainly on top. Then they conceded and capitulated.

Which, apparently, is a pattern, if we

The Reds have gone behind six times. Not once have they rallied for even a point.

In the first three of their six defeats, Liverpool levelled but conceded again against Palace, Chelsea and Manchester United. In the last three, against Brentford, City and Forest, once they they fell behind, they never recovered to parity at any point.

Such submissiveness was perhaps the most damning factor in the defeat to Forest. After Murillo’s opener, Liverpool’s fragile confidence evaporated, leaving them to fling s*** at the Forest wall, while allowing Sean Dyche’s side to break with ease.

3) Top of the possession table

Liverpool’s wretchedness is through no lack of possession. Christ, no team in the Premier League has had as much of the ball as the Reds.

Which begs the question: what the f*** are they doing with it?

Actually, Liverpool remain relatively creative, carving out the third-highest number of Big Chances, three more than leaders Arsenal. They are underperforming in terms of xG, but not alarmingly, scoring 18 from a 19.6 xG.

Goals from open play aren’t a big problem; Liverpool are second in that table. No team has scored fewer from set-pieces, though, which suggests the Reds are way behind the curve this season.

Liverpool are simply too open at the back and susceptible on the break. They may have had more possession than anyone else but are in the bottom half for shots on target allowed.

4) Bottom half since sealing title

Perhaps it is too simple to claim that Liverpool have lost their hunger. But the numbers make it hard to argue to the contrary.

The Reds won the title at a canter last season, securing the crown with four games to go. Understandably maybe, they immediately switched off, picking up only two points from those remaining matches.

But they don’t seem to have got themselves going again to mount a title defence. They opened with five wins, mostly achieved without playing well, which gave us all the false impression they might stroll to championship no.21 once they eventually clicked into gear.

Not only has that not happened, but they have got considerably worse. Upon becoming champions, Liverpool immediately became a bottom-half team.

In the time the Reds have been lording it up over Manchester United after equalling the Red Devils’ title haul, Liverpool have gained one fewer point in one more game. They have only one point more than Sunderland, despite the Black Cats playing four fewer games.

In the 16-game table since smashing Spurs to win the title, Liverpool are 11th.

5) 15th since signing Isak

Liverpool’s slump is all the more surprising in the wake of their summer transfer business. Which was widely thought to be very smart indeed.

Not only have we seen no evidence yet of that being the case, it seems like the opposite might be true.

So far, Florian Wirtz has failed to have any impact; Milos Kerkez appears out of his depth; Jeremie Frimpong, when he has been available, is struggling to nail down a place; while the only player who seems to be settling is Hugo Ekitike, who they probably would not have signed had they not made a complete fudge of their Alexander Isak pursuit.

Ah, Isak. The poster boy for Liverpool’s summer recruitment. Isak spent almost the entire summer on strike while he agitated for his big move. And ever since, he looks like a player who spent months sat on his arse.

His first start came at Palace, where it all started to go wrong for the Reds. Since then, he hasn’t scored a goal, completed a game or earned a point. This is how the Premier League table looks since the transfer window closed on September 1…

Of course, it is not all Isak’s fault, but the coincidence is as alarming as his performance against Forest. It took 25 minutes to have a touch in the Forest half, by then his second in total, and his one shot was an air-kicked volley before being substituted as an act of mercy by Slot.