Behind the collapse, what is the crux of Liverpool s crisis?

Four consecutive defeats is a resounding slap in the face for any wealthy club. And when this slap hit the face of the defending Premier League champion Liverpool, the sound was particularly harsh. In the just-concluded Premier League match, Liverpool lost 2-3 to Brentford, embarrassingly joining the historical list of "defending champions losing four consecutive games". Previously, only Liverpool in 2021, Manchester City in 2025 and Leicester City in 2016 "enjoyed this honor."

It is the consensus of the Premier League that it is difficult to defend the title and to reach the sky. However, the Red Army's cliff-like decline this season still surprised everyone with its speed and extent. At the beginning of the season, people blamed the problem on the new players' adjustment; now, all the spotlight is on head coach Sloter and his tactical board, and the desire to win that seems to be dissipating in the locker room.

Sloter's Dilemma: When "Smart Ball" Meets "Muscle Jungle"

In a recent press conference, Sloter tried to find an explanation for the team's poor performance. He points to a strategy adopted by other teams against Liverpool: an extreme reliance on set pieces, long balls and throw-ins aimed at minimizing the effective playing time of the ball in the field.

Slott’s observation was spot-on. He pointed out the “wealth code” for mid- and lower-tier Premier League teams to fight against technically strong teams: using the most direct and physical way to cut the game into pieces. However, identifying the problem is only the first step, solving the problem is the key. Slaughter admitted that he has tried a variety of tactical adjustments, but has had little success so far. His football philosophy seems a bit out of place in the Premier League, a "muscle jungle" that emphasizes physicality and confrontation.

Robertson's roar: tearing away the fig leaf of "mental slackness"

If Slott's explanation still contained the coach's rational analysis, then vice-captain Robertson's speech after losing to Brentford was more like a sharp knife thrust into the heart of the locker room, tearing away the fig leaf of "mental slackness."

"Opponents always have a game plan and all the managers in the Premier League are talented. Their (Brentford) plan was executed perfectly and we didn't do anything of our own. It made the game extremely difficult. If we just thought 'go out there, they'll drop back and we can control the game and then Waiting for a goal, that has almost never happened! In the nine seasons I have played, it has only happened once or twice. If we still think like this, we are in big trouble."

Robertson's accusation points to a more terrifying problem than the tactical failure: the team's hunger is disappearing. While Brentford's players showed a stronger desire to win, Liverpool's stars seemed to be still waiting for victory to come on their own initiative.

Vicious cycle: always "catching up", never "controlling"

A more worrying statistic is: Liverpool has been the first to concede the ball in each of the last six games. Five of those games are away games, and once you give your opponent the upper hand in the early stages, you're always fighting a headwind, an uphill battle.

This triggers a deadly vicious cycle: Slott's tactical system may have quietly evolved over the past month, but we have almost no chance to see what the team will really look like under his new system. Because once you are in a state of falling behind and catching up, all tactical arrangements must be centered around "how to equalize or even overtake". With the premise of formation and all-out attack, the original field control and rhythm will be completely disrupted. At the end of the game, when the team faced defeat, the tactics were simplified to a desperate attack.

As a result, fans feel like they have watched endless replays of the same game in recent weeks: first losing the ball, then panicking, and finally fighting back in vain.

Mistakes can be forgiven, but frequency cannot.

Against Brentford, the team made a mistake when defending a long throw-in, and the opponent tore the defense apart after three touches of the ball; against Manchester United, the referee did not notice McAllister's head injury After the game was stopped, the whole team was distracted for a moment; against Chelsea, they failed to block Caicedo's shot; against Crystal Palace, a corner kick was enough to kill...

Mistakes are part of football and are understandable. But Liverpool make mistakes with alarming frequency. Slott can't do this for him. The ball ultimately lies at the feet of the players, and they must be held accountable for their focus and professionalism.

Slott’s “Another Big Test”

For Slott, this is another real big test he faces after coaching Liverpool. It takes time to polish tactics, but it is urgent to awaken the spirit. What Liverpool needs now is not just a tactical fine-tuning, but also a "rectification movement" that goes deep into the soul. Robertson has made his voice heard, and now it's up to him to see if there's enough of an echo in the locker room, and if Slaughter can turn that anger into fight on the pitch.

Otherwise, the Red Army's disappointing season may continue to slide into a deeper abyss.