1 week ago
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On a day when the clocks officially turned back, Arne Slot might have wished to rewind time to April of this year.
Back then, his Liverpool team was on top of the world, having been crowned the Premier League champion with four games to spare in one of Anfield's most jubilant days. However, since then, the tide has shifted; a lavish summer spending spree has resulted in a significant turnover in the squad, and so far, the changes have yielded little reward. Whether he agrees or not, Slot is now facing the most significant crisis of his tenure.
Any talk of defending the title seems premature; that ship appears to be departing before Halloween, and the reigning champion could find itself trailing Arsenal by 10 points by the time it next takes to the pitch, against Aston Villa at Anfield on Saturday.
Perhaps the hardest pill to swallow for the travelling fans as they watched their team succumb to a 3-2 defeat against Brentford was just how foreseeable it all was. Liverpool was found severely lacking when tasked with countering the strengths of its host in west London.
Brentford's direct, physical approach was a resounding success against Liverpool. The Reds were outmuscled and outplayed, and following a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United last week that prompted an emergency team meeting, captain Virgil van Dijk may need to call another one next week.
There are some harsh realities that need to be addressed with several underperforming stars. The focus of the analysis meetings at the AXA Training Centre this week will undoubtedly be on Brentford's direct threat and how to effectively counter those long-ball and lengthy throw-in tactics.
Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, was so taken aback by the number of long balls his team has had to contend with this season that he even mentioned it in his pre-match comments, acknowledging the shifting trends at the top level this term.
Before kick-off, Liverpool had faced 507 long balls, accounting for over 20 percent of the passes made by the opposition this season. This is the highest percentage in the league, and it's clear that this is now the successful strategy against them. The Reds must improve their response to this tactic or risk derailing their season.
The head coach would have been frustrated when Brentford launched a long throw into the area from Michael Kayode within the first five minutes, resulting in the hosts' first shot on target from Dango Ouattara finding the back of the net.
Once again, the Reds found themselves trailing early in the match, a worrying trend considering they're supposed to be defending their Premier League title. Teams don't seem to need to do anything extraordinary to gain an advantage over Liverpool.
The early goal, much like the one conceded against United at Anfield last week, allowed Liverpool's opponent to adopt a defensive strategy, getting men behind the ball. Slot's team struggled to break down the opposition, who defended in numbers and limited space, making the rest of the first half a struggle. Florian Wirtz, who was often outmuscled by the stronger Brentford players, had a shot go wide, while Curtis Jones forced a routine save from former teammate Caoimhin Kelleher.
The early goal provided Keith Andrews's players with the opportunity to counter-attack effectively, which they did when Kevin Schade outran Ibrahima Konate in the Brentford half, maintaining his cool when faced with Giorgi Mamardashvili one-on-one.
It seemed as though Liverpool would enter the half-time break contemplating damage control for the second half, but Milos Kerkez managed to get on the end of fellow full-back Conor Bradley's cross to narrow the gap. However, the goal didn't have the desired impact in the second half, and former Reds goalkeeper Kelleher remained largely unchallenged as the visitors retreated, nursing their wounds.
Igor Thiago was presented with the opportunity to make it 3-1 from the penalty spot after substitute referee Tim Robinson reversed his initial decision that the foul had occurred outside the area. The decision seemed harsh on Van Dijk, who appeared to make no contact with Ouattara, but the Bees striker capitalized on the opportunity and converted the spot kick.
Slot introduced Federico Chiesa, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, and Rio Ngumoha in a bid to alter the course of the match, but their arrival failed to make any meaningful difference. Wirtz was substituted by Joe Gomez to the accompaniment of home supporters chanting that he was "a waste of money," following earlier songs declaring that Jordan Henderson "left cause you're s---".
Mohamed Salah produced a magnificent, instinctive strike to narrow the gap and establish another thrilling finale, but this rescue routine has become tiresome. Liverpool finds itself needing to mount comebacks on a weekly basis at present, and once again, the team fell short.
The image of Mamardashvili advancing for a corner in the 100th minute in a desperate attempt to salvage a point in October was simply desperate. The flaws are now completely exposed, and a significant reassessment of those summer expectations is required. Liverpool will be nowhere close to the title while performing at this level.
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