Slot back in trouble after Liverpool false dawn as Konate, Van Dijk calamitous in Brighton loss | OneFootball

Liverpool’s “best performance of the season” in the thumping win against Galatasaray resembled the heavy metal displays often seen under beloved former boss Jurgen Klopp, and it begged the question: where has this been all season?

When Jamie Carragher posed this question to Arne Slot after Wednesday’s 4-0 win, the head coach brought up the tired and lame excuse of Liverpool’s struggles against Premier League teams adopting a low block.

And Saturday afternoon’s trip to Brighton, a side that adopts a high-intensity approach and tries to be on the front foot, gave Liverpool the chance to build on what they produced in midweek, but it is no surprise that the statement win over Galatasaray has proven to be a false dawn.

Slot got an excuse in early for Liverpool reverting to type against Brighton, claiming pre-match that it is “not always physically and mentally easy after such a physical, emotional and mental peak like on Wednesday” to repeat it days later in a “12:30 pm kick-off”, which is an overused defence that he has inherited from Klopp.

Most of Liverpool’s stronger performances this season have come when Slot has used a 4-2-2-2 formation and Slot rightly stuck with it after it worked wonders against Galatasaray, though the Dutchman may use Hugo Ekitike’s early withdrawal vs Brighton due to injury, after Mo Salah and Alisson were ruled out of the game completely, as a reason for his side’s rhythm being upset.

But, in truth, this does not stand up as Liverpool never showed any intention of replicating the intensity they produced against Galatasaray, and Brighton overpowered them with their far superior energy and endeavour in another damning result/performance from the Reds.

Brighton were not excellent by any means and looked equally shaky in defence as Liverpool at times, but while their opponents let the game pass them by, the hosts took advantage to beat Slot’s side at the third attempt this season.

Liverpool were gifted an equaliser as Lewis Dunk brainlessly opted for a back-header to Bart Verbruggen, which Milos Kerkez latched upon, and the left-back produced a fine instinctive finish with a dink over the goalkeeper.

The Reds had responded pretty well to going behind for a brief spell in the ascendancy, but Brighton were otherwise on the front foot for the majority and were fully deserving winners.

If this were an audition for Yankuba Minteh to be Salah’s long-term replacement, the electric Brighton winger passed with flying colours as he terrorised Liverpool, whose defenders made a weak attempt at holding them off.

Brighton’s opening goal came following a string of needless Liverpool mistakes, though walking calamity Ibrahima Konate was most at fault.

The Frenchman failed to control a Giorgi Mamardashvili pass to give away a throw-in, and Liverpool’s lack of reaction was a hallmark of the most common form of Slot’s side this season.

Ferdi Kadioglu eventually sent in a deep cross that was headed back into danger by Diego Gomez and converted by Danny Welbeck, who bullied a limp Konate to force the ball home.

Konate was fortunate that his other careless lapses in the match were not punished, but he was not alone in contributing to Liverpool’s defeat, as this match offered the latest indication that captain Virgil van Dijk is way past his peak.

Van Dijk switched off completely as Jack Hinshelwood ghosted past him to meet Minteh’s wicked cross, with the makeshift attacking midfielder’s square pass nonchalantly converted by Welbeck, who narrowly avoided being ruled offside to extend his advantage as the Premier League’s leading-scoring Englishman with 12 goals.

Rio Ngumoha’s latest exciting cameo off the bench once again made Slot look foolish for favouring an entirely ineffective Cody Gakpo, but it was Brighton who looked far more likely to score the game’s fourth goal and Liverpool were fortunate that the full-time scoreline was only 2-1.

Liverpool could now end up sixth in the Premier League by the close of play this weekend as they gift an undeserved lifeline to Chelsea, while you would be daft to fancy them against Man City or PSG in the FA Cup or the Champions League.

It is certainly not all on him, but a large portion of the blame for Liverpool’s current dire predicament is on Slot and the midweek brilliance against Galatasaray only offered a brief reprieve for the Dutchman, who will surely be shown the door if his uninspiring tactics are deservedly punished by a failure to qualify for the Champions League or win a trophy.