Szoboszlai and a bunch of other players are expected to be recalled for Aston Villa's visit to Anfield. — AFP
HEARING Arne Slot say that other teams have figured Liverpool out while he has yet to find a solution to the situation, is honestly quite worrying.
Never mind failing to defend the Premier League title, every dropped point chips away at the Reds’ confidence, allowing self-doubt to creep in and potentially cause more troubling issues down the line.
No, it is not a full-blown crisis yet, and yes, cracks have appeared, but there is still time for Slot to put things right.
There are quite a few issues the Dutch head coach needs to rectify immediately to get the Merseyside club back on track, before they next face Aston Villa at Anfield tomorrow.
Liverpool are making too many mistakes all over the pitch – misplaced passes, losing individual battles and leaving too much space in midfield for opponents to exploit.
Their high-pressing style has seen other teams adopt a low block and counter-attacking approach.
With so many players, including both full-backs, pushing high up the pitch, the defensive line has been left exposed and vulnerable to long balls over the top.
Emery will be keen for his side to continue their recent good form. — Reuters
Slot must urgently plug the hole in midfield to restore stability.
To do that, someone from the forward line needs to be benched to make way for an additional midfielder – a defensive one.
To be fair, Slot did experiment during the 3-0 Carabao League Cup loss to Crystal Palace in midweek, switching from his usual 4-3-3 to a back three.
Things looked reasonably solid until Palace’s opener just before the stroke of half-time.
It remains to be seen whether he will stick with that shape against Aston Villa tomorrow.
Things could look different with most of the first-team regulars expected to return to the starting line-up.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Hugo Ekitike and Mohamed Salah, who all missed the Palace match, are likely to start.
Slot will be hopeful that Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch, both currently sidelined through injury, can be cleared to face the Villans.
At left-back or wing-back, Slot prefers the energetic Milos Kerkez over Andrew Robertson, despite Kerkez being caught out in defensive duels that have led to goals.
Florian Wirtz, meanwhile, must play behind Ekitike in the No.10 role where he thrives – not dropping deep into midfield to collect the ball.
Wirtz has faced criticism for a lack of attacking output, especially given his hefty transfer fee.
But it is not for a lack of effort – he has created countless chances, only to see them squandered.
As for Aston Villa, they started the season slowly but have picked up momentum in recent weeks.
Unai Emery’s side will be buoyed by their 1-0 win over Manchester City last week.
They have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, with the only loss coming against Go Ahead Eagles in the UEFA Europa League.
Unlike Liverpool, Emery has a settled squad to choose from, with only Youri Tielemans (calf injury) unavailable. Harvey Elliott, on loan from Liverpool, is ineligible to face his parent club.
The same XI that beat Man City is expected to line up against the Reds.
Given Liverpool’s current struggles, Villa will quietly fancy their chances of piling on more misery on the Anfield side.
Plenty has gone against Liverpool this season, despite a record-breaking summer spend.
There has been a revolving door of ins and outs, with new signings still adjusting and building chemistry.
Only Ekitike has settled down quickly; the rest still need time.
The passing of Diogo Jota before pre-season appears to also have had a profound emotional impact on the players.
Injuries and fitness concerns have further disrupted the consistency of Slot’s team.
Liverpool remain stacked with talent, and there is no doubt they can turn things around.
But the Villa clash is a must-win for Slot and his side.
There is no alternative.
Otherwise they risk heading into a daunting Champions League tie against Real Madrid and a Premier League showdown with Manchester City, in a state of serious disarray.
