Where Liverpool’s dismal Premier League title defence went so wrong | OneFootball

For the second successive season, Liverpool ended with a 1-1 draw at Anfield, bidding farewell to a wonderful full-back after taking just two points from their final four games. There the similarities ended. Liverpool’s faltering form at the end of the 2024-25 campaign could be explained by the fact they had already won the title. Twelve months on, they had more to play for and limped into the Champions League at the last.

The verdict from the captain was unsparing. “This poor season, the most challenging of my career,” said Virgil van Dijk. It was Liverpool’s worst for a decade, certainly in terms of the points tally: just 60, 24 down on the previous year, scoring 23 fewer goals, while conceding more than 16th-placed Nottingham Forest.

Which, it is fair to say, is not what was anticipated when Liverpool spent £450m last summer. “Not what I would have loved us to achieve this season,” said Arne Slot. “But taking everything into account, what has happened to us this season, I’m today happy that we’ve qualified for the Champions League.”

open image in gallery

Liverpool’s dismal title defence was not what was expected when they spent £450m last summer (Reuters)

It amounted to a damage-limitation exercise. He seemed to be studying the fates of Chelsea and Tottenham when he said: “When you take a look at the league table, big clubs are not able to qualify for Champions League or Europe. So we can never take it for granted but it’s clear and obvious that we wanted more. But I’m really proud of the players, what they’ve done this season, because it’s been a very, very, very tough season for us, with all the things we had to experience.”

That pride stemmed in part from the circumstances. Liverpool’s campaign began under the shadow of the tragic death of Diogo Jota; as Andy Robertson admitted last week, it took a huge toll. Neither Slot nor his players ever used it as an explanation, let alone an excuse.

There were, though, failings which could be examined. Fortune was involved as Liverpool won their first five league games; thereafter, though, they only took 45 points from the last 33. Their chances of retaining their title disappeared in a run of seven league matches, six of them defeats. There were common denominators. Conceding late goals was an unfortunate habit, in part because, lacking options on the bench, they seemed tired against fresher opponents. Set-pieces often formed part of their undoing; the probable arrival of Etienne Reijnen, a coach who worked with Slot at Feyenoord and a specialist in that department, may offer some hope of improvement.

It also shows the spectre of Xabi Alonso no longer haunts Slot. He can be grateful to Chelsea for their meltdown, rendering it easier for Liverpool to finish fifth, and then for hiring the manager many a fan wanted to be his successor.

Slot and director of football Richard Hughes shared a hug on the pitch after the 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Dutchman’s continued employment points to an understanding from those above him, perhaps an admission of their own shortcomings. Asked if he would have done anything differently this year, Slot said: “Yeah, many things.” But some, he felt, were out of control: many a selection was determined simply by who was available. “If you asked me one word to describe this season, I would describe that with the word ‘injury’,” added Slot.

And among the absentees, Liverpool’s expensive recruitment looked still worse. They spent a record sum and left Slot short-staffed. They paid £300m for attacking talents and scored too few goals. Alexander Isak was the common denominator in everything: the £125m British record buy who was by and away the worst signing of the season. The Swede got half as many goals as Van Dijk. He ended his campaign an unused substitute; perhaps Slot, scarred by Isak’s propensity to break down, did not want to risk bringing him on. Or maybe he just assumed Isak wouldn’t score anyway.

open image in gallery

Alexander Isak has been the common denominator in Liverpool’s failings this season (PA)

His troubles were compounded by an underwhelming debut year from Florian Wirtz, who did not register a goal or an assist against any top-half finisher. One damning detail about Liverpool’s spending spree was that none of their newcomers started the last game of the season. It was only partly explained by the wish to give Mohamed Salah and Robertson a final outing.

Salah’s decline was a factor in Liverpool’s. It was highlighted by the explosive interview at Elland Road that made his eventual departure inevitable. It was compounded by the way Liverpool never properly replaced Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold, lacking energy on the flanks and creativity respectively.

open image in gallery

Mohamed Salah’s exit was inevitable amid decline and a growing rift with Slot (PA Wire)

Alexander-Arnold was always a unique player. Jeremie Frimpong made him look an irreplaceable one. It became the season of the seven right-backs for Liverpool: perhaps there was something symbolic in that their last goal of the campaign was scored by a midfielder playing right-back, in Curtis Jones.

It became a theme. Dominik Szoboszlai was a lone beacon of excellence and some of his finest goals – the free-kicks against Arsenal and Manchester City, for instance – came while operating at the back. The Hungarian had looked the man endangered by Wirtz’s arrival. He ended the campaign as the only contender for Liverpool’s player-of-the-year award.

Too many others regressed, Alexis Mac Allister particularly grievously, while Cody Gakpo’s goals dried up and Ibrahima Konate’s campaign was decidedly mixed. Van Dijk’s form was imperfect but he at least shouldered a colossal burden, playing every minute of the league campaign.

open image in gallery

Alexis Mac Allister's drop-off was sharp this season (Getty)

Rio Ngumoha’s emergence brought promise but Liverpool’s second best player of the season – a distant second to Szoboszlai – was Hugo Ekitike, who at least compensated for Isak’s ineffectiveness, even if it remained hard to detect a strategy to get the best from the two strikers and Wirtz. But there was something sadly fitting that Ekitike ended the season injured.

Liverpool ended it with pride bruised and reputations damaged. The boos that greeted Slot’s decision to substitute Ngumoha against Chelsea showed a growing opposition to him. But the year ended with Slot still in a job, Liverpool back in the Champions League. As Slot said, it could have been worse. But for him and Liverpool, next year has to be considerably better.