Liverpool outmuscled, outtackled and outrun as 20 per cent drop revealed | OneFootball

Liverpool have screwed this Premier League title defence. It was always going to be tricky but nobody expected them to fall off a cliff.

And it really does look like the problems begin and almost end with a lack of running and a lack of tackling. The basics.

Liverpool tackles and interceptions down almost 20% on last season

This is pretty conclusive. Last season this Liverpool team were making a combined 24.8 tackles and interceptions per Premier League game; this season that figure stands at 20 and is the lowest in the Premier League.

In that defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, Liverpool were out-tackled 17-8 despite having roughly an equal share of possession. The most damning statistic is that the midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai were credited with making zero tackles in that game. For all the criticism of Mo Salah’s lack of defensive effort, he actually made two tackles in comparison to Florian Wirtz’s zero.

Liverpool being outmuscled in the middle

Last season this Liverpool side ranked ninth in a Premier League list of clubs who made most tackles in the middle area of the pitch; this season they lie rock bottom. And it’s not even close. Tottenham top the list with 103 and Liverpool have made 49. That’s less than half, maths fans.

The current top four in the Premier League have all made between 64 and 69 middle-third tackles this season, while Liverpool (49) are below the equally disappointing Nottingham Forest (57) and Newcastle United (60) at the very bottom of the table.

Liverpool are running less than everybody but West Ham and Chelsea

Now you would expect Liverpool to run less than most Premier League clubs as they a) usually dominate possession and b) play controlled football under Arne Slot that should not rely on chasing the ball or the opposition.

But what you would not expect is for Liverpool to be above only West Ham and Chelsea in that metric, having been above four Premier League clubs last season.

And you absolutely would not expect Liverpool to run a collective 9km less than Manchester City during that 3-0 defeat, or for Manchester City (leading the Premier League numbers) and Arsenal (third) to consistently out-run them over the first 11 Premier League matches of the season.

Liverpool have not picked up a single point from a losing position

Is that a consequence of this lack of fight? It’s telling that in five Premier League games, Liverpool have gone behind and emerged with no points from those five games. None.

It might not be so damning if Liverpool had not won a massive 23 points from losing positions last season on their way to the Premier League title.