Liverpool “wanted to be like Real Madrid” – but have lost their identity: BBC pundit | OneFootball

Liverpool’s latest setback has sparked fierce debate over whether our new-look squad has lost its identity, with former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker claiming we’ve gone “too Hollywood” under Arne Slot.

Liverpool “not a team”, says BBC pundit after Brentford defeat

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Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Reo-Coker didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Reds following the 3–2 defeat to Brentford – a result that marked our fourth consecutive Premier League loss and left us seventh in the table.

“They are a great team on paper but not a team in terms of the product on the football pitch,” he said. “There are too many individual moments.”

“When they made these signings it was clear that Liverpool wanted to be spoken about in the same breath as Real Madrid, who create an empire and dominate.

“They went very Hollywood which goes against the culture of the club and the lights have become too bright for some of the players.”

Those words will sting, especially given how much pride we take in building our success on unity, identity and hard work.

Reo-Coker went on to question the leadership within the side, adding: “Virgil van Dijk is not the same leader and that is probably because he has no confidence in the back four. He looks very annoyed with Milos Kerkez.”

The pundit also suggested our Hungarian full-back has struggled to match the defensive standards expected at Anfield, stating: “Kerkez is not the same as what we saw at Bournemouth… he’s not defending.”

Gary Neville once again shared his concerns about Kerkez and it seems to be increasinly obvious that Andy Robertson deserves his place as first choice left back.

Our vice captain spoke candidly about the defeat in London and it’s clear he’s ready to fight to turn results around.

Identity questions and Liverpool’s worrying trend

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The 3–2 defeat in west London means we’ve now conceded two or more goals in nine of our last ten league games, our worst defensive run in the Premier League since 2021.

Reo-Coker believes some of the issues stem from the atmosphere around the squad.

“Slot hasn’t helped with putting comments out there about what Liverpool are vulnerable with and some of the decisions he is making with players,” he said.

“They need some team bonding… they don’t look like a team.”

While the criticism is harsh, it does highlight a growing narrative that we’ve perhaps lost some of the togetherness that defined our title-winning campaign just months ago.

Still, this is largely the same group that lifted the Premier League trophy last season, now bolstered by Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak – so the quality is clearly there.

We’ve already seen flashes of brilliance from the German playmaker, and if he can click alongside the front line, the tide could yet turn quickly.

As things stand, though, our next fixture against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup feels like a must-win – not just for momentum, but to show that this Liverpool side is still capable of fighting together as one.

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