‘Very concerning’ Liverpool problems present huge opportunity for Arsenal | OneFootball

Champions were strong title favourites after huge summer spending, but poor form has given their rivals a big chance

The warning signs at Liverpool appeared early for Jamie Carragher.

Standing next to Arne Slot after the 4-2 win over Bournemouth on the opening night of the Premier League season, the pundit asked why Liverpool were committing so many bodies forward and leaving themselves vulnerable.

“That’s who we were and who we are and that’s also why you see such a nice game if you watch Liverpool, because we’re not going to go to a low block and defend,” Slot responded.

Carragher was unconvinced: “Arne can I just say that worries me a little bit.”

Rightly so, as it turned out. Liverpool followed that match with a run of late winners against Newcastle, Arsenal, Burnley and Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool slipped to a third successive defeat with their dramatic 2-1 loss at Chelsea before the international break

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Dramatic, “nice” for a neutral as Slot would say, but unsustainable.

They will return after the international break on the back of three straight defeats, losing their spot at the top of the Premier League to Arsenal and leaving Slot with plenty of questions.

Liverpool were beaten 1-0 away to Galatasaray in the Champions League and, just over six weeks on, Carragher’s initial reservations had only grown.

“Liverpool’s full nine games this season have been very concerning,” Carragher said. “I don’t feel like I’m watching a top team. Liverpool aren’t playing football at the moment, they’re playing basketball. It’s just end-to-end and I don’t think top teams play like that.”

There was little comfort for him in Liverpool’s tenth game of the campaign either, when Estevao Willian snatched a last-gasp win for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Slot has previously had a dream time of it in England. He led Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season and was then backed with a £446million transfer window in the summer.

An examination of the most expensive transfers in football history throws up one obvious conclusion - they often disappoint.

Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, Joao Felix to Atletico Madrid, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona; there is not a lot of value going around.

Liverpool now have two entries in the top ten in Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak and the £241m duo are yet to fire.

The positive is that Liverpool are only one point off the top of the league and have not yet played well.

Isak will surely get up to full fitness and start scoring regularly, just as Wirtz is good enough to eventually adapt to the Premier League. Those two at their best would transform the team.

Alexander Isak is yet to fire following his £125m move from Newcastle

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That still feels some way off. Slot’s side failed to win any of their last four matches after sealing the title last season and have stumbled into the new campaign. It is a long time since Liverpool were consistently at their best.

There is little chance for Slot to find solutions on the training pitch either, with Liverpool facing a run of seven matches in 21 days, culminating in showdowns with Real Madrid and Manchester City.

If the same problems are still present come the November international break, the title defence will surely have been derailed.

Problems with the defence

Control was the word that sprung to mind when watching Liverpool last season.

There was not necessarily the breathless entertainment of the Jurgen Klopp era, but Slot’s side were ruthlessly efficient in minimising the drama.

Not so this term, when Liverpool’s seven Premier League matches have seen a total of 22 goals. No team in the league has had more action at both ends of the pitch.

Liverpool’s pressing is not as effective as it was.

Against Chelsea, Robert Sanchez only had to throw the ball over Mohamed Salah’s head to release Marc Cucurella and break the press.

Crystal Palace and Bournemouth enjoyed similar success down that flank and teams are finding it easy to play either around or through Liverpool.

In June, Klopp described Dominik Szoboszlai as “the best pressing player in Europe right now”, but he has spent large chunks of this season at right-back and Liverpool’s off-the-ball work has suffered.

Szoboszlai’s shift into defence has been an attempt to fill the void left by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Summer signing Jeremie Frimpong is more comfortable hugging the touchline. He is not going to invert into midfield like Alexander-Arnold, nor is he going to break the lines with passes or switch play crossfield.

Liverpool’s build-up play has often looked stodgy.

Arne Slot’s side face Manchester United in a huge game at Anfield on Sunday

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Milos Kerkez has not hit the ground running on the opposite wing and so Liverpool’s attempts to move on from their stalwart full-backs of Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have not worked.

In the centre of defence, Ibrahima Konate has been ragged for much of the season. His drop in form is making the failed summer pursuit of Marc Guehi appear increasingly costly with every match.

The Frenchman picked up a quad issue against Chelsea and should that lead to a spell out, Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will be the only senior centre-back options available.

Van Dijk remains one of the world’s best, but he cannot hold a defence together by himself.

Slot’s search for balance

With so much attacking talent added to the squad, it was inevitable that the structural dial would shift towards Slot accepting less defensive stability. However, the rewards in the final third are not justifying that pay-off.

Wirtz is yet to score or assist for Liverpool and was dropped to the bench at Stamford Bridge as the search for midfield balance continues.

The German’s £116m price tag is not his fault but it has become his problem, adding an intensity to the spotlight on everything he does.

The balance in midfield has not worked when he is in the side. Wirtz has been well off the pace and there is also an issue up front.

Hugo Ekitike was sharp after his £69m arrival and has scored three times, yet now finds himself as effectively a very expensive back-up.

Florian Wirtz is yet to score or assist for Liverpool after his £116m move to Anfield

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Isak will expect to start most matches but, having spent the summer on strike at Newcastle, does not look up to full speed yet.

More of a concern will be the lack of opportunities he has had in front of goal.

Last season when Darwin Nunez led the line, he had a regular supply of chances but his finishing was off.

The solution? Splash £125m on a striker who will convert those. The problem? Isak has had only nine shots across six appearances. The structure is not there to provide the service.

Even more stark is the drop-off from Salah. The Egyptian is missing Alexander-Arnold more than most, those clipped balls in behind no longer floating down the right wing.

Salah has had only two shots per 90 minutes this season, compared to 3.4 last term. He has had fewer chances, fewer dribbles, and created fewer opportunities for team-mates.

The 33-year-old was for large chunks of the title-winning campaign a one-man band in attack. Liverpool have attempted to ease that burden and create a more varied attack, but the new faces have not yet clicked and Salah’s output has suffered.

It is hard to be sure of what Liverpool’s best formation is, let alone the starting lineup. Slot is not short of ingredients but the recipe for now is half-baked.

Arsenal ready to pounce?

Liverpool’s transition season has come a year later than expected.

The segue from Klopp to Slot was seamless, helped by the squad being nearly identical.

Only Federico Chiesa was brought in during the summer and there were no January additions.

Having won the title, the club embarked on a squad overhaul and it is going to take time to click. Patience, though, is limited when players arrive for nine-figure sums.

It should not be forgotten that this is also a squad and a club still reeling from tragedy after Diogo Jota’s death.

That grief remains and Salah was in tears after the Bournemouth match as the fans sang Jota’s chant.

“My emotions came and in my mind [I was thinking about him],” Salah said. “You can see many people in a Kop also are showing their emotions or what they feel. So then you start to break down a little bit.”

There are challenges on and off the pitch for Slot, who faces his toughest test yet as Liverpool boss.

It is Arsenal who now top the betting markets as favourites for the title. The Gunners are a more balanced side and have the stronger squad after a busy summer themselves.

Arsenal have moved above Liverpool at the top of the Premier League

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Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke have all spent spells on the sidelines this season but Mikel Arteta now has the options to cope.

The fixture list threw up trips to Manchester United, Newcastle and Liverpool in the opening weeks of the season, as well as a home match against Manchester City.

Arsenal have come through those to sit top of the table and are picking up results while playing within themselves.

Liverpool beat them at Anfield and yet it is Arsenal who appear ready to go the distance in a title race.

Football changes quickly and come the next international break the narrative could flip.

Isak and Wirtz might by then be firing, Salah could well have rediscovered his goalscoring touch, and Slot will hope to have fixed a disjointed midfield and defence.

That, though, is a daunting to-do list. The expectation was that a title-winning side strengthened so significantly in the transfer window would kick on and become a dominant force. For now, Liverpool would be happy to just dominate a match.