Liverpool’s season has unravelled into a chronicle of squandered potential, with Arne Slot’s tenure exposed as a catastrophic misstep despite record-breaking transfer outlays.
Liverpool’s failure to secure a single home win against any of the three promoted sides in the Premier League, Sunderland, Burnley, and Leeds United, marks the first such ignominy since the 1980s, underscoring a collapse in authority at Anfield.
Shocking Home Record vs Promoted Sides
Liverpool drew 1-1 with Sunderland at Anfield on December 3, squandering their dominance against the Black Cats. Just days into the new year, they were held 0-0 by Leeds United on January 1, a tepid affair where Arne Slot’s side mustered little incision despite home advantage.
The nadir arrived on January 17, with a frustrating 1-1 stalemate versus Burnley, as Florian Wirtz’s first-half strike was cancelled out by Marcus Edwards, even though Liverpool registering 32 shots against the 19th-placed Clarets.
This trifecta of dropped points at the once-fortress Anfield against EFL Championship returnees is unprecedented in the modern era, last occurring in the distant 1980s when Liverpool’s aura was untarnished.
Dismal recent form
The rot runs deeper: Liverpool have mustered just five Premier League victories from their last 17 outings, a paltry return for supposed contenders. Those wins over Aston Villa (2-0), West Ham United (2-0), Brighton & Hove Albion (2-0), Tottenham Hotspur (2-1), and Wolves (2-1) are sandwiched between humiliating defeats like the 0-3 home loss to Nottingham Forest and a 3-0 thrashing at Manchester City.
Draws have proliferated lately: 3-3 at Leeds United, 2-2 at Fulham, 0-0 at Arsenal, and now back-to-back stalemates with Leeds and Burnley. This sequence has eroded their early-season momentum, which five straight wins had masked.
Lavish Spending, Meagre Returns
Fenway Sports Group’s chequebook fluttered open last summer, with Liverpool shattering records by spending £449 million gross, headlined by Alexander Isak (£144m), Florian Wirtz (£125m), and Hugo Ekitike (£95m).
Arsenal (£283m net) and City (£317m) invested similarly, yet Liverpool languish in fourth after 22 games with 36 points (10 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses), nine behind third-placed Aston Villa. The gulf is stark: big-money arrivals like Isak and Wirtz have flickered but failed to ignite a title push, leaving the squad bloated and unbalanced.
Underlying metrics expose Slot’s failings
Advanced statistics paint a damning picture of Arne Slot’s stewardship. Liverpool’s expected goals (xG) averages 1.65 per match, but they have underperformed with a goals-minus-xG differential of -4.4, betraying clinical wastefulness.
Defensively, xGA sits at 1.25 per game, yet actual concessions average 1.33, hinting at sloppy transitions under the Dutchman. Possession-dominant displays evident in the 32-shot barrage vs Burnleyyield scant reward, with set-piece xG lagging and long-range efficiency poor. Slot’s possession-heavy “Total Football” reboot has stifled the dynamism of Jurgen Klopp’s high-press era, resulting in a middling +4 goal difference despite the firepower.
No escape for Slot
Arne Slot’s honeymoon is over; reports swirl of mounting pressure, with insiders claiming UEFA Champions League qualification won’t suffice to save him. The board wants acceleration on a successor, as tactical rigidity, evident in the inability to break down parked buses from promoted minnows, has neutered Liverpool’s attack.
Players like Virgil van Dijk have voiced frustration in draws, while fan discontent has boiled post-Burnley. With Arsenal and Manchester City pulling away, and Aston Villa surging, clinging to Slot risks a trophyless void. Replacement beckons: Xabi Alonso or Roberto De Zerbi could restore steel. The Dutch manager’s tenure must end now, and prolonging it invites disaster.
Numbers do not lie
Liverpool’s haul of just 18 points from a possible 51 in their last 17 Premier League matches, equating to five wins, three draws, and nine defeats, mirrors the dismal form of relegation scrappers, akin to Burnley’s 17 points from 22 games in 19th place.
At Anfield, where UEFA Champions League pedigree is demanded, this unacceptable slump demands immediate intervention from the hierarchy, prioritising a managerial overhaul over sentimentality.
Xabi Alonso’s abrupt dismissal by Real Madrid on January 12 via “mutual agreement” after a post-Christmas wobble presents a golden opportunity, with the former Liverpool midfielder now free and primed to instil tactical nous and club passion.
