Time is really unpredictable. The team who won the Premier League by 10 points, the team who was the UCL leader after the group stage is now struggling unprecedentedly.
After the loss to PSV 1-4 today, Liverpool has now lost 9 games out of the last 12. They are currently at 12th position, 11 points behind the current Premier League leaders Arsenal. In the UCL, they are 13th with just 9 points from 5 games.
How have the tables turned so dramatically?
After spending £450 million in the summer window and getting a squad revamp with prolific signings of big names like Isak, Ekitikie, Frimpong, Wirtz, etc, no one expected this. Although the squad revamp process has its own consequences and Liverpool is certainly not the 1st team to suffer from it. Tackle from Behind has covered this process and its impact in this article. Is The Squad Revamp Process Really Tough?
But apart from this, tactics are not working for Arne Slot too. Let us compare last season Liverpool tactics and this year so as to figure out what is going wrong with the team.
A. Last season (2024–25)= The title winning Slotball
4-2-3-1 (sometimes 4-1-2-3 in possession, 4-4-2 out of possession).
Stable double pivot: Gravenberch + Mac Allister screening the defence and giving a clear platform for attacks.
No.10: Szoboszlai floating between lines, linking counters and wide triangles. This created a wide triangle (FB + winger + 8/10) breaking low blocks.
Long balls to Salah/Díaz/Gakpo as strong outlets from Trent.
B. This season (2025–26) , same numbers but different beast
On paper they still often start 4-2-3-1, but Slot has mixed between 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and even 3-4-4 shapes in possession. 4-2-3-1 specifically has been toxic this season – they’ve lost the last five league games starting in it and the xG difference in that shape is among the worst of any recent Liverpool iteration
Build-up vs high press is weak Liverpool struggled to play out from the back when pressed high. This was clearly visible in the games vs Galatasaray, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Arsenal. Take a look at this
Lemina and Torreira are men marking Gravenberch and Curtis Jones. So the only clear pass for Alisson is Wirtz but he is simultaneously pressured by Sanchez. Wirtz had no easy pass to deliver and he lost the ball there which led to the Galatasaray deadly counter. Because of this, Slot leans more on Long balls to the front line (Isak, Ekitiké, Salah, Gakpo etc.) to bypass the first press.
It is clearly visible that not all long balls are being delivered to the wing but rather in an inverted position. Last season, that long-ball game worked because wide forwards (Salah, Díaz, Gakpo) could hold it up / win fouls / win seconds.
Wide triangles & wing threat have broken down. Last season, Liverpool were brilliant at wide rotations: opposite-footed wingers + overlapping full-backs + 8/10 combining to create in-swinging crosses and cut-backs.
But this season Wirtz/Frimpong being used as wingers means fewer classic Salah/Díaz/Gakpo patterns.They often end up crossing from deeper/wider zones instead of breaking into the box.
Their open-play goals have dropped dramatically: Slot himself has pointed out that they have only around 10 open-play league goals so far vs 40+ in the first half of last season’s campaign.
Rest-defence and counters against them Right side, behind Salah, is a glaring weakness. Salah is still allowed to stay high in pressing schemes. Opponents (like Chelsea) have repeatedly targeted the space behind him with third-man combinations and switches.
Midfield physicality and the missing number 6 There’s a clear lack of physicality in midfield. Gravenberch is being used as a 6 more often under pressure, but against Nottingham Forest: 2/7 duels won and against City: 2/9 duels won. Here Endo is a much better choice for DM but Slot doesn’t see him in his plans. Here instead of spending big on Isak, signing a good DM could have been a better choice.
The flop show by veterans There has been a dip in performance charts for Salah, Van Dijk and Konate. The defenders under high press, they’re struggling to play progressive passes or carry out pressure, leading to cheap turnovers.
Possible solutions
The combination of Mac Allister + Gravenberch or Mac Allister + Endo both should be used depending on the needs. For a more defensive approach, Liverpool should use Endo who is clearly not tested this season. This gives better rest defence and counter protection.
Wirtz should be given a free No.10 hybrid role, not wide-left. He has the ability to play between lines and thread some through balls to Isak and Salah.
Kerkez/Frimpong should time their overlapping runs well. During this time, a central pivot must be there to cover them.
Conclusion
There is still a healthy percentage of season left. Liverpool, if they do some tactical reforms, can fight for the Champions League spot. Slot has to test out other players like Endo, Chiesa, etc. He has to take some measures to bring Salah back to his normal lethal form.
