Liverpool's woes deepen while Slot hunts for solutions

Liverpool entered the season expected to dominate the Premier League title chase with ease, yet the defending champions are now entangled in an unforeseen slump following their most recent stunning loss.

The Merseyside outfit suffered a 3-2 defeat against Brentford on Saturday, marking their fourth straight league setback.

This result follows closely after their initial home loss to Manchester United at Anfield since 2016, leaving Liverpool appearing far more fragile than during any previous point under Arne Slot's management.

Sitting in sixth position after dropping points in four of their opening nine league fixtures, Liverpool watch as Arsenal have assumed control at the summit of the division.

The team has already surrendered as many league matches this term as throughout their complete championship run last year.

This marks a stunning downturn from the previous campaign, when Slot's squad secured the crown with a comfortable 10-point margin over runners-up Arsenal, clinching it four matches early.

Bolstered by a substantial £446 million ($593 million) investment during the off-season, Liverpool began as heavy favourites to claim a historic 21st domestic crown and prolong their dominance.

However, the choice to reshape an already proven roster has proven counterproductive.

The club shattered their spending limits twice over the summer, splashing out on high-profile acquisitions like Bayer Leverkusen's creative midfielder Florian Wirtz and Newcastle's forward Alexander Isak.

Slot further bolstered the ranks with arrivals such as Hugo Ekitike, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and Jarell Quansah numbered among the prominent exits from Anfield.

Initial red flags emerged that Slot's squad transformation might falter, evident in their penalty shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.

Despite claiming victories in their initial seven outings across all tournaments this season, the performances were seldom convincing, relying on stoppage-time strikes to triumph in six instances.

Palace turned the tables on Liverpool with a last-gasp strike in a 2-1 triumph that laid bare the weaknesses in Slot's lineup.

Subsequent reverses came against Galatasaray and Chelsea, prior to Manchester United snapping out of their difficulties to secure a 2-1 success at Anfield.

With Brentford capitalising on Liverpool's lax backline to plunge the title holders into disarray, Slot appeared ever more perplexed from the sidelines.

Far short of expectations

Challenges plague Slot's team across the board, as Wirtz seems utterly disjointed, and the UK-record purchase Isak has netted only once in eight outings.

Mohamed Salah has faded into the background since the tail end of last term, prompting Slot to bench him on two occasions already this season in attempts to reignite the Egyptian attacker's form.

Full-backs Frimpong and Kerkez have faltered in their roles, and skipper Virgil van Dijk has underperformed, with Liverpool increasingly exposed to a flood of direct passes.

The heartbreaking loss of Diogo Jota in a summer car accident has compounded the difficulties.

Yet the most concerning aspect for supporters remains Slot's confession of lacking responses to the intense pressure on his disintegrating rearguard from rivals' straightforward approaches.

"Opponents appear to employ a specific tactic versus us, an effective method indeed, yet we lack a counter so far," he remarked.

"It leaves us unable to even vie for possession at present, simply because we are shipping far too many strikes.

"Undoubtedly, overhauling the squad extensively in the transfer window contributes to this state, though I never anticipated a streak of four defeats, to emphasise that point."

Liverpool become merely the fourth set of title defenders to endure four losses in succession.

This also represents their initial run of four consecutive league defeats since February 2021.

Left-back Andrew Robertson provided no alibis for the team's troubles before welcoming Palace to Anfield for the League Cup clash on Wednesday.

"During tough periods, the sole path forward involves intensified effort, extra sprints, and enhanced self-care," he stated.

"Our outcomes over the past five or six matches fall well below standards. We alone hold the power to escape this rut. 

"Improved performances and greater steadiness are essential now."