Having started the season as champions, Liverpool FC are currently trailing behind and fighting for international competition. The Reds are not performing as expected. Coach Arne Slot is well aware of this, admitting that it is by far the most difficult season of his coaching career.
Last season, everything went smoothly for Liverpool FC, with the Reds rushing from victory to victory and ultimately celebrating their 20th championship by a clear margin. In the current season, however, the LFC engine has stalled considerably. Ahead of their away game in Sunderland, 6th place is the cold reality – they are 17 points behind leaders Arsenal, five behind Manchester United and Champions League spot 4, and four behind Chelsea, who are fifth in the table.
After winning the championship, Liverpool FC initiated a personnel shake-up and spent over half a billion euros on new signings, including Alexander Isak (€144 million) and Florian Wirtz (€125 million). A new structure certainly takes time to gel, and it seems to be no different for the Reds, as their return so far has been very modest, with eleven wins, six draws, and eight defeats in the league.
Slot in unfamiliar waters
It’s not an easy situation for the Reds, who are used to success, but it’s also not an easy situation for coach Arne Slot, who openly admits as much. “I don’t think I’ve ever lost two games in a row before,” the Dutchman told the BBC, admitting that he’s not used to it. “I’m not used to that.” Slot experienced the feeling of losing one game after another, especially in the fall, when the team suffered six defeats in seven consecutive games. Things are not quite as dire now, but Liverpool are still falling short of their own expectations. Liverpool have lost only two of their last 17 games, but they have drawn seven of them. “A draw feels like a defeat,” Slot admitted, emphasizing that “in all the other seasons I’ve been a coach, the positives have always outweighed the negatives.” That’s why the current season is by far the worst he has experienced as a coach. He is not alone in this feeling, because: “The players know what the standards are at Liverpool FC – and we are not meeting those standards.”
Champions League as a lifeline
The season can still be saved, but to do so, the Reds must at least qualify for the Champions League. “If we don’t play in the Champions League, it will definitely not have been an acceptable season,” Slot said, pointing to the importance of Champions League revenue in terms of transfer policy. “That has a huge impact on the way this club is run. I’m fully aware of that.”
So the minimum goal has been set, now points need to be earned. That may be easier said than done on Wednesday in Sunderland, as the Black Cats are still unbeaten at home this season (seven wins, five draws). Added to this are personnel concerns, especially at right-back, where Dominik Szoboszlai is suspended after receiving a red card in the 1-2 defeat to Manchester City, and the other options such as Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and Joe Gomez are injured or carrying knocks. In addition, striker Isak and defender Giovanni Leoni are also out with injuries.
Injuries have been a constant companion for the Reds so far. Slot is now taking it with gallows humor – pointing to the latest injury to Jeremy Jacquet, who was recently signed for the coming season. “Even when we sign a player and he doesn’t even play for us, he gets injured,” Slot said of the 20-year-old, who will join Liverpool in the summer for a base transfer fee of €63 million and who suffered a shoulder injury in Stade Rennes’ 3-1 defeat at Lens over the weekend.
Despite all this, Slot expects the Reds to continue working consistently on their performance, because “the question is whether we are unlucky or whether this is simply part of who we are.” Only time will tell the answer to that question.