Red flags — Liverpool faces huge challenges in desperate bid to end Premier League losses

In soccer memories are extremely short. You are only as good as your last match. That is why, even though the 2025/26 season is still in its infancy, there is already so much pressure on reigning English champions Liverpool, especially on the back of three successive league losses. 

The Reds won their first five matches of the season, beating Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Burnley and Everton. But even during those victories there were red flags in Liverpool’s performances. Notably, the team lacked cohesion.

This was put down to Liverpool’s European summer splurging spree, which saw the club bring in a number of key signings ahead of the new season. From former Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak to the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and fullback Jeremie Frimpong, there has been an influx of new personnel in the Merseyside club.

Liverpool have also been dealing with the shock of Diogo Jota’s death during the off-season. The Portuguese forward was a key component of the attacking set-up and a close friend to many of the players. His absence and the suddenness of his passing have had a massive impact, even though they have publicly put on a brave face.

Downward spiral

In those first few matches of the season, Liverpool were able to impersonate renowned escapologist Harry Houdini, but in subsequent matches, their challenges have proven a hurdle too high. They have suffered successive 2-1 defeats to Crystal Palace, Chelsea and, most recently, Manchester United.

Naturally, the defeats have brought to the fore a number of questions about manager Arne Slot’s men. Last season, Liverpool lost just four matches on the way to conquering England. Nevertheless, the team’s captain and stalwart, Virgil van Dijk, says it’s not the time to panic.

“First and foremost, [we must] stay humble and stay working and try to keep our confidence as high as possible. Because when you lose, your confidence could drop a little bit. But it’s about staying very calm,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports.

“We’ve come from a season where everything was unbelievable and everyone was praising everyone… We became the champions and everyone was cheering for us. When things get tough, it’s important that we keep that same mentality of being there for each other,” the Dutchman said.

“It’s still a long season. Obviously, it’s easy to get dragged into a negative spiral. But it’s down to us to keep working, stay humble and improve as soon as possible. Then, when we get the opportunity, to show our quality and win our games.”

Victims of success

With the way the Reds played on the way to comfortably lifting their second Premier League title last season, the pressure of expectation was always set to be a factor this season. For some observers, Slot was fortunate to win the league in his first season.

As such, he was always poised to be under the microscope in his second season. The argument from his critics is that the Dutchman inherited a ready-made and battle-­hardened squad from his predecessor, Jürgen Klopp. Nevertheless, he still had to make the team perform. He did. 

By winning the Premier League, Slot achieved in his first season in England what Klopp only managed once in nine years. But in domestic cup competitions the Reds toiled, exposing cracks in Slot’s philosophy.

In the FA Cup, the Reds were eliminated in the round of 32 after a shock 1-0 defeat to Championship side Plymouth Argyle. They managed to reach the final of the Carabao Cup and were favourites to win against Newcastle United. They lost 2-1.

In the European Champions League, Liverpool’s campaign was a mixed one. Slot’s men dominated in the inaugural league phase of the competition, losing just one of eight matches and winning the rest. They finished first and qualified automatically for the round of 16.

However, the luck of the draw did not favour them as they were pitted against eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in the first round of the knockout phase. They lost 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 stalemate over two legs.

A manager’s challenges

Those frustrating knockout competition displays were camouflaged by rare Premier League success. Now, in his sophomore season, Slot is cognisant that the challenges and pressure will be amplified. All he has to do is come up with solutions to ensure the Reds regain their edge.  

“As a manager, you face constant challenges. When I just started, I faced the challenge of being a new manager and needing to win games. Then, when you do well, you go to a bigger club and people are like, ‘Oh, let’s see how he does over there’.

“Then you go to be the successor of Jürgen Klopp and people say this is the biggest challenge you ever faced,” Slot said.

“So, the life of a football manager is an ongoing challenge. If you win games, you want to keep winning. If you lose games, you want to start winning again.”

Slot may not have tinkered too much with the side he inherited from Klopp, but Liverpool’s new acquisitions show that the former Feyenoord coach is ready to mould his own team. He will want to prove that his winning start to life in England was no fluke, as some critics have suggested. If only he could settle for a starting 11.

The merry-go-round that has been happening at right-back is an example of the lack of stability in terms of a fixed starting line-up. Not even halfway through the season, Frimpong, Conor Bradley and midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai have been used in that position.

Concerningly for the Reds, Szoboszlai has been the best performer in the position, despite it not being his natural position. The Hungarian is much more lethal from midfield. The right side has been a liability for Slot’s men, with a number of potent attacks originating from there. It’s also the flank from which Mohamed Salah operates.

The Salah conundrum

The Egyptian winger’s unwillingness to help out defensively has added further strain to the team. This weakness in Salah’s game is easy to ignore when he is terrorising opposition defenders – like last season when he scored 29 goals and assisted 18 times in 38 league games.

But so far this season, it’s been just two goals and as many assists from eight matches for Salah. This attacking impotency, in addition to his shirking of defensive duties, has amplified calls for him to be dropped from the starting line-up.

“In the first five or six games, every question I got was about the new players. Now you ask me about another individual, [but] I don’t think it is the time to talk about individual performances,” Slot said of Salah.

“As a team, we expect more than where we are at the moment. And as a team, we are not used to a Liverpool side missing so many chances. Certainly, not during my time here. I don’t think it was any different when Jürgen was here.”

Of the seven past Premier League winners, only Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have managed to defend their title. Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Arsenal have all failed to retain the title after winning it.

This shows the challenge that the Reds face this season, especially against an Arsenal side desperate to end its Premier League drought of more than two decades. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.