Liverpool are in particular trouble, with a number of key players struggling to perform, including Mo Salah and summer signing Florian Wirths, as they look to fight back after three successive defeats.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defense got off to a strong start with five wins from five games, but the red flags were evident from the first leg and are now showing.
Last weekend’s loss to Chelsea meant the Reds lost their place at the top of the table, with Arsenal taking over. Rivals Manchester City have also managed to catch up, and Arne Slott, who spent an incredible amount of money over the summer, is tasked with ensuring his investment returns a good return.
Liverpool enter the international match having come off a three-game losing streak in all competitions, but much attention is being focused on their attack, which included Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, who played a British record in two games.
Defensively, they have paid the price for a lack of control in the middle and front third, but Milos Kerkes is still not settled in, and Ibrahima Konate’s concentration has been heavily questioned amid talk of a free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer.
Even superstars like Mohamed Salah aren’t immune to obvious struggles at Anfield. His numbers started to decline last season and the Egyptian continues to struggle for goals, scoring just one goal from open play in the Premier League this season.
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The international break will give the manager and players time to assess the situation ahead of the big clash with Manchester United. Using our sister title Liverpool ECHO’s dedicated player ratings, we placed every player into one of four sections.
men who inspired
It will come as a surprise to everyone that Dominik Szoboszlai leads the way, mainly due to the strength of his performances as a makeshift right-back.
It wouldn’t be a shock to see Alisson Becker take up the next position. The goalkeeper’s recent injury is a big blow for Liverpool, given his importance to the team. However, the fact that Federico Chiesa has also performed well – clearly on the strength of fewer games – shows the impact the Italian has had in the opening weeks.
Ryan Gravenbirch missed the first two games but impressed, particularly against Everton, and Hugo Ekitike (6.50) was the only new signing to make an immediate impact.
the best of the rest
Curtis Jones has been more consistent than spectacular and probably deserves a spot on the wing. Virgil van Dijk (6.40) has shone for Newcastle United and Andy Robertson’s relatively decent showing suggests he could be the best option at left-back at the moment.
Florian Wirtz’s start hasn’t been as bad as some observers have suggested, but his lack of goals and just one assist suggests there’s a lot more to come.
Kodi Gakpo is also far from in top form, but he has the ability to play solidly on the left flank, occasionally contributing to a goal like he did against Chelsea on Saturday.
have to do better
The fact that so many players are performing below their starting average of six points, most of whom are considered regular starters, highlights why Liverpool have not made much of an improvement so far this season. Conor Bradley is still playing catch-up after missing part of pre-season through injury, while fellow right-back Jeremy Frimpong has had his own fitness issues as he tries to adapt to his new surroundings.
The big concern was Mohamed Salah, who spent too much time with three goals and three assists but with only intermittent flashes of brilliance and little change in attack.
While Alexander Isak has the excuse of missing at least pre-season and trying to find his feet in a new team, Ibrahima Konate simply continued his very contrasting form in the final months of last season.
Milos Kerkes was too eager to impress in the opening weeks and his confidence was severely damaged as a result. However, the player who performed worst was Alexis Mac Allister, who too often saw the game pass him by in midfield, clearly far from being fully fit as he worried about his fitness over the past six months.
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