An air of defeatism hung over Anfield.
You could sense it on the pitch from the moment Murillo punished some slack defending to fire Nottingham Forest in front in the 33rd minute on Saturday. Rather than rally, Liverpool folded and meekly accepted their fate.
You could also sense it in the stands, with the atmosphere horribly flat before supporters headed for the exits in their droves after Morgan Gibbs-White made it 3-0 with 12 minutes of the 90 to play.
There was no open show of dissent towards Arne Slot. The Dutch head coach still has enough credit in the bank following last season’s Premier League title triumph for there to be any serious calls for change after a dismal run of six league defeats in seven games. But the general mood of restlessness inside Anfield yesterday provided a warning that there is not a limitless supply of patience. The clock is ticking as he battles to put right what has gone so alarmingly wrong.
Fans leaving Anfield after Forest scored their third goal late on (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)
“I am responsible for the current losses,” Slot told reporters after the game. “It’s far from good enough. But, of course, there’s a way out — especially with the quality players we have.”
The stats are damning.
Liverpool have lost back-to-back league games by a margin of three goals for the first time since Bill Shankly was their manager 60 years ago.
It is only the second time in the 33-year Premier League era they have endured six defeats in the opening 12 matches of a season, having also plumbed those depths when the wheels came off Brendan Rodgers’ reign in 2014-15.
Their current tally of 20 goals conceded is also their joint-worst at this stage of a Premier League campaign.
Home form had previously provided some respite from Liverpool’s woes on their travels, but not anymore. Slot’s side have been beaten in two of their past three league games at Anfield: that is as many losses as in the previous 53 home matches.
This was not what owner Fenway Sports Group expected when it sanctioned the biggest spending spree in the club’s history this past summer. Chairman Tom Werner, who was at the match on Saturday, believed that £450million ($589m at current exchange rates) investment would provide both the quality and the hunger required for Liverpool to kick on and secure more glory in future seasons.
But the toxic current mix of established stars losing their way and their new arrivals struggling to adapt has sent the club spiralling into a crisis. The same issues are reappearing week after week, with belief taking a battering. Slot has so far been unable to find the answers to the stack of problems facing him.
“Lately, it’s almost constantly that we miss our chances and the ones (chances) we concede go in. That will not continue throughout the whole season,” he said.
Arne Slot looks short on answers (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
If only it were that simple.
Liverpool had 75 per cent possession against Forest but created only one big chance, as defined by Opta.
There is no misfortune when you cannot even do the basics right, such as defending set pieces properly. Slot’s men have now conceded nine goals via that route in the Premier League this season — as many as in the 38 matches of their triumphant 2024-25 campaign.
Arguably the biggest contrast with that season is how brittle this team look.
Liverpool earned 23 points from losing positions en route to being crowned champions in May. The total after 12 games this time around? Zero. Where once they dug in and fought when faced with adversity, shoulders now hunch. Their body language is so poor. Cody Gakpo felt the wrath of the Anfield crowd in the first half after coming off a distant second best in a 50-50 with Murillo, and Ryan Gravenberch received the same treatment after the break when he retreated rather than competing for possession.
This time a year ago, it felt as if new boss Slot had the Midas touch. His tactical tweaks and clever substitutions repeatedly helped turn games Liverpool’s way as they raced away from their title rivals and never looked back. Now, his decision-making looks so muddled.
Why play Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back yesterday in the absence of the injured Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong? Liverpool were always going to miss the Hungary international’s athleticism in midfield.
Slot made the point that Joe Gomez, an unused substitute against Forest, had missed some training earlier in the week. But he has seemed strangely reluctant to turn to Gomez, the club’s longest-serving player, all season. The fact his only starts have come in the two Carabao Cup ties is baffling, given the lack of defensive options and Ibrahima Konate’s dreadful form at centre-back.
Calvin Ramsay could also have deputised at right-back on Saturday, freeing up Szoboszlai to continue to operate where he can influence games best.
Ibrahima Konate’s form is a cause of concern for Liverpool (Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
The gamble of starting Alexander Isak backfired. The wait for the most expensive signing in the history of British football to start repaying some of that £125million transfer fee goes on, three months after his arrival.
Isak had only played around 30 minutes of football for Sweden since injuring his groin a month earlier before the Forest game, and it showed. Even during the early exchanges, when Liverpool were lively, the former Newcastle United striker looked completely out of sync with the red shirts around him. At times, he drifted out wide in a forlorn attempt to get involved but was never a threat. Isak touched the ball once in the opening 20 minutes and that tally had climbed to just 14 by the time Federico Chiesa replaced him midway through the second half. He also did not force a single save from goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Being left out must have been a bitter pill to swallow for Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s top scorer this season with six, who had returned to Merseyside on a high after celebrating his first senior goal for France against Ukraine.
The slapdash manner in which the home side started the second half, conceding within 39 seconds of the restart when Nicolo Savona doubled the Forest lead, was symptomatic of the current malaise. Alex Mac Allister was guilty of losing a challenge with Neco Williams that he simply had to win. Whatever was said in the dressing room during the interval clearly did not register.
What exactly the plan was once Liverpool were 2-0 down remains unclear. The substitutions smacked of desperation as they looked increasingly disjointed. Once again, there was the sight of two midfielders playing out of position in the back line. Once again, Liverpool never looked like mounting a salvage act as they got worse rather than better.
This was Slot’s 50th league game in charge. It is worth remembering that no manager in the club’s history has reached that milestone with more wins (31). But he needs to find answers fast.
Forest inflicted his first defeat in English football 14 months ago, and here they returned to dish out his most humiliating one.
What a mess.