Liverpool Faces Historic Struggles as Defending Champions

omidbasir- Liverpool has invested £450 million in new signings this summer to reinforce their status as England’s premier football club after winning their 20th league championship last season. However, after 12 tumultuous games in their title defense, Arne Slot’s squad is on track to become the worst defending champions in Premier League history.

Initially celebrated as the ideal successor to Jürgen Klopp, Slot guided Liverpool into a new era with minimal changes last season. This season, however, he faces a daunting challenge. The 47-year-old is struggling, and his team is on the verge of entering the record books for all the wrong reasons.

Mohamed Salah’s scoring prowess has diminished, while high-profile summer signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz—each costing over £100 million—have underperformed significantly. Additionally, Ibrahima Konaté’s lackluster defensive display has contributed to a troubling trend, with the team conceding more league goals than it has scored.

The once-invincible aura surrounding the defending champions has been shattered, even at Anfield. A 3-0 home loss to Nottingham Forest marked the first time Liverpool has suffered successive league defeats by three goals since 1965. This defeat was part of a broader trend, with six losses in seven league matches since September 27, causing a dramatic fall from the top of the league to 11th position.

Only José Mourinho’s Chelsea in the 2014-15 season have had a poorer start to their title defense, recording seven defeats in their first 12 games. This dismal performance ultimately led to Mourinho’s dismissal just months after securing the title for the third time.

Liverpool joins Blackburn Rovers (1994-95 champions) and Leicester City (2015-16 champions) as the only teams to incur six defeats in their first 12 games as defending champions. Blackburn managed to stabilize their season, finishing seventh, while Leicester, despite parting ways with their title-winning coach Claudio Ranieri in February 2017, ended up with the lowest finish for a Premier League champion in 12th place.

Are Liverpool on a similar trajectory towards a bottom-half finish? Or can Slot reverse the trend and steer his team back towards success this season?

Signs suggest Liverpool could emerge from their losing streak and potentially secure a top-four finish. Yet, if football were that straightforward, teams like Chelsea, Blackburn, and Leicester would not have experienced such a rapid decline. The pressure is mounting on Slot to rectify the situation swiftly.

“Of course there is a way out, especially with the quality players we have,” Slot stated after the defeat against Forest. “But I want to emphasize that I am responsible for the current losses. You bear responsibility when you are winning, but also when you are losing. I cannot excuse our results; they are far from good enough, and I take responsibility for that.”

Virgil van Dijk, Slot’s captain, provided a more pointed critique of the team’s shortcomings, indicating that players must share the blame and questioning whether everyone is fully committed.

“As champions, we can’t find ourselves in this situation, but it is a fact,” the center-back expressed. “What are we going to do about it? We need to try to turn it around, and that mentality must be shared by everyone. The main thing is that everyone has to take responsibility. Are people doing that? I don’t know. But it’s essential.”

Slot faces numerous challenges, but determining where to begin is complex, with some issues lacking clear solutions.

In defense, Konaté’s form has deserted him, and Slot lacks a viable alternative. The failure to secure a late transfer for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi is now haunting the club. Additionally, the absence of backup option Giovanni Leoni, who is sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury, further complicates matters. Konaté’s decline has negatively impacted Van Dijk, compounded by the long-term injury of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who returned to action only recently after an absence since September 30.

In the left-back position, Slot has been slow to recognize that Milos Kerkez is not yet ready to replace Andy Robertson. Meanwhile, the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid is keenly felt weekly, particularly at right-back, where Liverpool often resorts to playing midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

With an increasingly inconsistent defense, Liverpool’s midfielders are struggling to manage their responsibilities, particularly when Wirtz is on the pitch. The German international has yet to record a goal or assist in 11 Premier League appearances, contributing only two assists in four UEFA Champions League matches. His inability to cope with the pace and physicality of the Premier League has become evident, and opponents are exploiting his weaknesses.

Upfront, the situation is equally dire, a surprising failure given the wealth of talent available. Isak has yet to score a league goal since joining from Newcastle United, and his lack of effort is generating frustration among supporters. Salah, last season’s Footballer of the Year, appears to be performing as though he regrets not moving on during the summer. Hugo Ekitike, once considered a summer success story, has managed just one goal in nine appearances and none in the Premier League for over two months.

Salah’s upcoming departure to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt may provide Slot with an opportunity to field Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike together, shifting the focus away from Salah. However, none of them have shown the capability to rise to this challenge thus far.

Ultimately, it falls to Slot to navigate the team out of this crisis and ensure that Liverpool does not finish the season as the worst defending champions in Premier League history.