Let’s make no mistake about it: Liverpool have been outfought and outthought towards Brentford on the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium. That is 4 Premier League defeats in a row for Arne Slot’s facet, and the disaster has very a lot deepened.
Will it worsen? Here’s a crew so effectively outfitted for the trials and tribulations of the marketing campaign, having gained the Premier League at a canter final 12 months and solely enhancing, ostensibly, throughout the summer time switch window.
However this has not been the case. Barring Hugo Ekitike, virtually all of Liverpool’s summer time additions have fallen by the wayside underneath Slot’s wing. Nevertheless, the likes of Mohamed Salah have failed to guide by instance.
Salah did rating late on, a wonderful objective after being dropped in midweek. However it was too little too late, with so many Redman flattering to deceive.
Liverpool’s worst performers vs Brentford
Salah has been among the many most closely criticised Liverpool gamers this season. And the rebuke has been justifiable. However the 33-year-old returned to goalscoring type and can now construct on that.
Nevertheless, Florian Wirtz nonetheless leaves a lot to be desired within the Premier League. The £116m summer time signing from Bayer Leverkusen racked up two assists on Wednesday night towards Eintracht Frankfurt, however he nonetheless seems a shadow of the world-class prospect underneath Xabi Alonso’s wing in Germany.
He simply would not look proper in his playmaking berth. Mismanaged and misutilised? Actually so. Nevertheless, Wirtz has been abject within the Premier League and he squandered an excellent likelihood to interrupt his duck in west London.
Milos Kerkez is likely to be the decide of a foul bunch. Signed from Bournemouth for £45m in July, the 21-year-old has been woeful all season, unable to exhibit any of the athletic qualities that earned him such esteem final 12 months.
There’s one other senior star who has been inexcusably dangerous of late, and he’s threatening to grow to be the membership’s new model of Jordan Henderson.
Liverpool’s new model of Jordan Henderson
For therefore a few years, Virgil van Dijk has been an indomitable power in defence for Liverpool. However he is the captain, and he is on a sinking ship proper now.
Questionable decision-making and bereft of confidence, the Dutchman is in peril of changing into the following Henderson, who led Liverpool to a lot glory in his time however ended his time at Anfield with a whimper.
Henderson, 35, was a part of the Brentford facet who defeated Slot’s crew on Saturday, and he showcased his management and expertise to steer his facet to a priceless win. Van Dijk was the polar reverse as he did not handle his troops.
The Liverpool Echo gave the skipper a 5/10 match score, however in fact, that is virtually beneficiant. Van Dijk has not even a semblance of coherence on the left facet with the struggling Milos Kerkez, and Liverpool are altogether spinning uncontrolled, with their most skilled and unflappable defender on the epicentre.
Virgil van Dijk vs Brentford | |
|---|---|
Stats | # |
Minutes performed | 90′ |
Targets conceded | 3 |
Penalties conceded | 1 |
Touches | 95 |
Correct passes | 69/76 (91%) |
Possibilities created | 1 |
Tackles gained | 1/2 |
Recoveries | 3 |
Interceptions | 0 |
Clearances | 14 |
Floor duels gained | 3/4 |
Aerial duels gained | 7/9 |
Knowledge through Sofascore | |
You may say Van Dijk was unfortunate to have conceded a delicate, and in the end damning, penalty on the hour mark, swinging his leg out to fulfill Dango Ouattara’s personal and falling sufferer to a decent VAR name.
However then you may additionally level towards the longer stretch of dismal type from the esteemed Dutchman, who, aged 34, will begin dealing with questions over whether or not he has misplaced one thing essential to his recreation, and whether or not that particular one thing is now irretrievable.
That is what occurred to Henderson throughout these last days. Bought to Al-Ettifaq in 2023, the England worldwide was among the many greatest scapegoats as Liverpool toiled all through 2022/23, lacking out on Champions League qualification. May historical past be repeating itself right here?
Maybe most regarding of all is the sense that Liverpool have to spend huge cash on new defenders, having simply emerged from a record-breaking summer time switch window with a wealth of elite recruits and having smashed the British switch document not as soon as however twice.
Liverpool are being constantly outplayed within the Premier League. Slot wants to vary issues quick, else this calamitous state of affairs will devolve into one thing far graver for the Dutch tactician.
