Liverpool must show response against Forest to regain control of their season | OneFootball

Liverpool return from the international break facing what feels like a decisive point in their season.

Their heavy 3-0 defeat at Manchester City before the international break did more than widen the gap to the top of the Premier League. It exposed the reality that their title defence is already slipping away and raised fresh questions about where they are actually headed.

Whether they are capable of reasserting themselves in the European places or risk drifting towards the wrong end of the table will start to become clearer from this weekend onward.

Saturday’s home match against Nottingham Forest therefore arrives with significance beyond the usual post-break fixture. Liverpool have been reliable at Anfield under Arne Slot, yet their broader form has fluctuated enough to make this a test of their ability to steady themselves.

The manner of the loss at City also lingers. Liverpool were outplayed for long spells and could not match City’s physical intensity or attacking clarity, and the disallowed Virgil van Dijk goal could not disguise the gulf between the sides.

From a Liverpool perspective this is where they must show that the setback does not mark the start of a deeper slide.

Forest’s recent improvement only sharpens the challenge. Sean Dyche’s side struggled through the early weeks of the season but now appear far more robust, organised and confident. They have lost only one of their last five matches in all competitions and arrive on Merseyside with an approach that has begun to generate results.

Their ability to take four points off Liverpool last season will also reinforce the belief that they can push Liverpool hard again. Nothing in their current form suggests they will leave anything to chance.

Slot spent much of his pre-match press conference discussing injuries, confirming muscle problems for Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz and saying the situation was “far from ideal”.

He added that Liverpool will have “five players who have always played as a defender for the next seven games” and highlighted match fitness as the main issue. Jeremie Frimpong is also out, although Alisson should return if he comes through training.

Despite the growing challenges, Slot was firm about Liverpool’s priorities. “We are not even thinking or talking about” the title defence, he said. “The only focus we have is winning games of football”.

He also refused to attribute inconsistency to the injury list, insisting: “The last thing I will do is use it as an excuse.”

Liverpool now need a statement performance to show they are ready to turn a corner. This is the point where their season’s direction becomes clearer, and they cannot afford another misstep.