The media sense Liverpool are now in a “crisis” after defeat at home to Man United, with their Premier League title defence becoming increasingly concerning.
The Reds were poor yet again on Sunday afternoon, losing 2-1 to a United side who have looked average at best under Ruben Amorim.
Here’s how the media reacted to Liverpool’s fourth loss in a row.
There remains a lot of unanswered questions for Slot…
On X, journalist Melissa Reddy didn’t hold back in her assessment of the Reds:
“Liverpool deserved to lose that. Having to throw the kitchen sink and hope something sticks – AGAIN – can’t be the plan.
“So much of the play is forced and out of desperation, which leads to painfully poor decision-making. There are periods where it looks like the players don’t know each other and have no clue what to expect.
“So vulnerable defensively, and without a working mix in attack despite an abundance of talent.”
Gregg Evans of The Athletic thinks this is now a genuine “crisis” for Liverpool:
“Liverpool’s title defence is crumbling and this is now a crisis for Slot and his side. A run of four successive defeats in all competitions has exposed a team that looks far from the dominant force it once was.
[…]
“The defeat now leaves a lot of unanswered questions as Slot is left to find a way out of this sustained period of discomfort.
“How do Liverpool change this? And how long will it be before it is too late?”
David Lynch feels Liverpool look a long way from Premier League champions:
“Liverpool had the chances to win today but, if they had, it would have papered over the cracks.
“They don’t look like champions because the summer ensured this isn’t the same team that won it, and any defence of their title will be over by the time they work out all these issues.”
Constant changes but short of ideas…
BBC Sport‘s Phil McNulty focused on Liverpool’s defensive issues:
“Liverpool’s defensive vulnerability has been consistently exposed all season, with United taking fewer than two minutes to inflict punishment.
[…]
“It must be said Liverpool did not enjoy much luck, the woodwork struck three times, but they were, on too many occasions, ponderous and looking short of ideas – and also felt the wrath of their own supporters as frustrations grew.”
John Cross of the Mirror believes there is something “just not right” about the Reds currently:
“Liverpool, the reigning champions, are just not right.
“They are just not clicking and, despite such a promising start, their raft of new signings do not look like a team.”
Dominic King, writing on X, was hugely unimpressed with the structure of Slot’s side:
“You can pinpoint individuals; you can bemoan the referee.
“But when a central midfielder is playing right-back, a full-back is playing as a forward and a central defender is playing as a striker with massive gaps all over the pitch, it tells you the structure is a shambles.”
And Richard Jolly of the Independent did not beat around the bush in his assessment of Liverpool:
“It was Arne Slot who was left to contemplate a slump of unexpectedly seismic proportions and who was swathed in unflattering statistics. This is the first Liverpool side since 2014 to lose four matches in a row which is not a good look for a team who underwent a £450m makeover.
“They were beaten at Anfield in the Premier League for the first time in 13 months. Late goals have been a story of Liverpool’s season, but now they rue them.”
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