Liverpool 1–4 PSV: beginning of the end for Arne Slot? | OneFootball

Liverpool have had bad weeks before, but this stretch has taken them into territory not seen since the 1950s. A 4–1 home defeat to PSV—their ninth loss in 12 matches and a third straight by a margin of three goals or more—dragged a difficult season deeper into crisis and cast new, harsher light on questions surrounding Arne Slot’s project and the uneasy transition from the previous era.

PSV walked into Anfield and exposed virtually every structural flaw Liverpool have displayed during this run. From defensive chaos to an attack sputtering under pressure, this was another performance in which Liverpool’s problems were not only familiar but also predictable. Slot admitted afterwards that questions over his future were “understandable”, and the groans that met the full-time whistle suggested the fanbase agrees.

Here are the five things we learnt from an alarming night on Merseyside.

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1. Van Dijk’s Struggles Reflect a Team Without Defensive Conviction

When Virgil van Dijk raised his arm for a non-existent foul five minutes in – gifting PSV a penalty for handball – the symbolism was impossible to ignore. Liverpool’s most authoritative voice was caught doing something he never used to do: searching for shortcuts in moments that require clarity.

Ivan Perišić converted, and the tone was set. Van Dijk has historically been Liverpool’s barometer; when he is calm, Liverpool are calm. When he wobbles, the whole side shakes. Here, he was booked, caught out positionally, and then part of the scattergun defending that allowed PSV’s third goal, Driouech following up Pepi’s shot while Ibrahima Konaté failed to react.

The broader issue is not simply individual form. Liverpool remain disjointed in defensive transitions, too easily dragged into spaces they cannot recover. Konaté’s confidence is shot, Milos Kerkez struggled positionally, and even the usually reliable midfield screen evaporated under PSV’s movement.

This wasn’t one player having a bad night – it was a unit lacking conviction, athletic edge, and any sense of collective timing.

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2. Liverpool’s Midfield Intensity Has Fallen Dramatically – and It Shows in Every Phase

Under Klopp, Liverpool’s identity rested on relentless intensity: more pressure, more energy, more duels, more chaos – but chaos they controlled. Under Slot, the opposite is developing. Liverpool are getting outrun and overpowered far too easily.

PSV are not Manchester City, and yet Liverpool struggled to cope with even basic waves of pressure. Mauro Júnior’s pass that split the defence for Guus Til’s goal summed up the issue: one vertical action dismantled an entire block that should have been compact and connected.

Curtis Jones did not hide post-match: “I don’t have the answers… it’s unacceptable… We’re in the shit, and it needs to change.” His honesty echoed what unfolded on the pitch. Too many second balls were lost, too many counters were conceded with minimal resistance, and too often PSV looked like the side with a clearer physical and tactical plan.

This dip isn’t tactical alone. The squad looks drained – mentally and physically – and the idea of “more intensity” is no longer something Liverpool can summon on demand.

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3. The Attack Lacks Sharpness – and Cohesion Is Eroding

Liverpool did produce a handful of promising moments around Szoboszlai’s equaliser. Cody Gakpo was lively against his former club, Van Dijk hit the bar, and Mohamed Salah nearly latched onto a square pass before being crowded out. But from that point, Liverpool offered little sustained threat and even less conviction.

Salah’s form has been declining for weeks. His skewed shot over the bar – from a position he usually buries – was symbolic of a player out of rhythm. Alexander Isak, replacing the injured Hugo Ekitike, again failed to impact the game; the Swede’s Liverpool stint still hasn’t begun in earnest. Gakpo himself faded in the second half and was often isolated.

There is a structural issue too. The team’s positional play in the final third is muddled. Wide players are receiving the ball static, central runners are poorly timed, and connections are fragmenting. Slot’s attack lacks patterns, automatisms, and most crucially, confidence.

Liverpool’s inability to build sustained pressure or craft high-quality chances is becoming a defining problem.

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4. PSV Exposed Liverpool’s Predictable Weaknesses – and the Collapse Was Avoidable

PSV did not stumble upon a blueprint; they simply applied one that has undone Liverpool repeatedly this season:

Driouech’s first goal was exactly that: Salah lost a duel on the left, PSV played through the lines, Salah-Eddine ghosted past challenges, and Driouech finished after Konaté misjudged his positioning.

The fourth was even more painful. Liverpool were stretched, slow to recover, and ultimately punished for slack tracking. Driouech’s stoppage-time second – low into the far corner – was met with a wave of fans heading for the exits.

Everything that went wrong had gone wrong before. The patterns repeat because Liverpool aren’t correcting the root problems: shape, intensity, spacing, and clarity of roles.

PSV didn’t need to be exceptional. They simply needed to be organised, energetic, and precise. Liverpool could not match them.

: Liverpool 1–4 PSV: beginning of the end for Arne Slot?

5. The Slot Project Is Under Stress – But the Problems Run Deeper Than One Man

Slot admitted post-match that scrutiny over his position was “normal”. His record – nine defeats in 12, Liverpool’s worst run in 70 years – speaks loudly. But while results fall on the manager, the problems extend well beyond him.

This is a club in transition, disrupted by:

Selling Jarell Quansah and investing heavily in a forward they arguably didn’t need is a symptom of a broader strategic blur. Meanwhile, the team’s defensive core – once Liverpool’s pride – now lacks pace, confidence, and physical presence.

Slot’s confusion, which he referenced before the match, captured the reality of a squad that has lost its structure and rhythm. There is quality here, but its distribution is uneven and its application inconsistent. That leaves Liverpool nice to play against – a sentence unthinkable in the Klopp era.