'i'm Past Being Angry' - Liverpool Look For Answers To Worst Run For 71 Years

With 7 consecutive wins nether their loop astatine nan commencement of nan campaign, Liverpool seemed successful premier position to put up a robust Premier League title defence and spell heavy successful nan Champions League.

Now, they are successful nan midst of their worst tally successful 71 years aft suffering a humiliating 4-1 conclusion by PSV astatine Anfield.

Nine defeats successful 12 matches for nan first clip since nan 1953-54 season, 3 consecutive losses successful each competitions by a separator of 3 goals - and 7 goals conceded successful nan abstraction of 5 days astatine their usually fortress-like Merseyside home.

"I don't person nan answers, honestly, I don't. It's conscionable unacceptable," Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones told RTE.

"I'm past being angry inside. I'm astatine nan constituent now wherever I conscionable don't person nan words."

The stats make for grim reference for Liverpool fans, who were successful dreamland aft Arne Slot guided them to nan Premier League title successful his first season, but are now questioning whether he is still nan correct man for nan job.

The Dutch head is nether expanding unit arsenic he tries to find a solution to what has accelerated go a superior problem.

"At nan infinitesimal things are not clicking and it each feels very difficult," erstwhile Liverpool full-back Stephen Warnock told BBC Sport.

"The defeats are conscionable adding up astatine nan moment, and compounding things truthful they get worse and worse.

"Is it down to over-confidence? I really don't cognize why, and it is very strange. But location is an evident deficiency of fight, which is very difficult to see."

Liverpool's stellar commencement was followed by a tally of six defeats successful 7 matches that sparked interest and talk of a crisis.

Things started to look up earlier successful November, pinch victories complete Aston Villa and Real Madrid lifting morale and offering dream of a return to form.

But they yet proved not to supply a imperishable alteration successful their fortunes, but a momentary respite.

A 3-0 conclusion by Manchester City conscionable earlier nan world break was tough, but tin hap against Pep Guardiola's side.

But a setback by nan aforesaid scoreline to Sean Dyche's Nottingham Forest near them 12th successful nan Premier League and now followed by this embarrassing nonaccomplishment against PSV - only their 2nd astatine Anfield successful 26 group matches successful this title since Atalanta hit them successful 2020.

It has near Slot pinch a monolithic task connected his hands to return his broadside to nan apical half of nan Premier League and stay successful nan hunt for a top-eight spot successful nan Champions League convention phase, having slipped down to 13th.

"I don't deliberation location should beryllium a knee-jerk reaction, I deliberation this is simply a very reliable infinitesimal astatine Liverpool for 1 logic aliases another, but nan 1 point I'd opportunity is that things weren't correct astatine nan commencement of nan play either, erstwhile they were winning," added Warnock.

Sacking managers astatine nan first motion of problem is not a maneuver Liverpool person often deployed. Let's not hide excessively that past twelvemonth Slot oversaw nan champion ever tally - 8 wins successful his first 10 top-flight games - by a Reds boss, having conscionable replaced Jurgen Klopp.

But his summertime signings person not worked, putting him nether pressure.

Record transportation Alexander Isak is still yet to get disconnected nan mark, German playmaker Florian Wirtz is presently injured and left-back Milos Kerkez continues to struggle.

Yet connected Wednesday, Slot made conscionable 2 substitutions arsenic his broadside trailed. One was Isak for chap caller signing Hugo Ekitike, who looked to person picked up an injury, while nan different was Italy guardant Federico Chiesa for Ibrahima Konate during different reliable evening for nan French defender.

"This tally is simply a daze for everyone," admitted Slot.

"For nan players, for me. I don't easy daze and it's very unexpected. We tin each do amended individually, but that goes for everyone including myself."

The brightest spark has possibly been Dominic Szoboszlai.

Reinstated successful his domiciled successful cardinal midfield against PSV, he provided not only a goal, but power and an attacking threat, while going immoderate measurement to proving location are importantly amended uses for him than arsenic a stand-in right-back.

"With each conclusion it gets person to being a crisis," erstwhile Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard told TNT Sports. "I don't deliberation Liverpool are astatine that [yet} - situation is excessively strong.

"There are nary excuses for a capacity for illustration that astatine this shot club

"You cannot contradict nan squad is struggling massively, they are connected a unspeakable run, their assurance is astatine an all-time low, they are wide open.

"Unless nan head tin find answers and stableness successful his team, past this business is going to continue."

PSV, though, was ne'er going to beryllium an easy fixture for Slot to effort to get his players backmost connected track.

The erstwhile Feyenoord leader has only won 1 of his past 8 games against nan Eredivisie outfit successful each competitions (D3 L4), and against nary broadside has he suffered much defeats successful his managerial career.

Slot says he is not presently worrying astir his early astatine nan nine and is alternatively focused connected turning things around.

"I request to do better, that's what I'm trying to do each azygous time to amended nan squad and that is wherever my main attraction is," added nan 47-year-old.

Liverpool had been going good successful nan Champions League pinch 3 wins from 4 matches.

This conclusion leaves them a constituent disconnected nan apical eight, but pinch reliable matches against Inter Milan and distant to Marseille to come.

First up, though, is simply a travel to West Ham successful nan Premier League connected Sunday.

Warnock said: "Every azygous Liverpool subordinate astatine nan infinitesimal needs to spell backmost to basics, because each azygous subordinate is having a reliable clip astatine nan infinitesimal and needs to improve.

"Morale needs lifting but it is very difficult to assistance it. There are nary easy games for them."

While Liverpool's results were awesome astatine nan start, problems were evident pinch caller signings struggling to settee and players who stood retired past play failing to connection nan aforesaid value and contribution.

The effect of Portugal guardant Diogo Jota's passing successful July cannot beryllium ignored.

"I deliberation there's a bigger image pinch everything that has gone connected astir nan club," added Warnock.

"There's a monolithic quality from past twelvemonth successful what is going on. However, it is simply a results-driven manufacture and astatine nan infinitesimal Liverpool are losing games very heavy and nan signs aren't that they are changing - location aren't improvements.

"But, what do you put that down to? Is it down to nan manager? Is it down to what has happened pinch Jota? I deliberation this is simply a very difficult business for nan nine to effort to look astatine because of everything that surrounds it."

Those who support nan nine are of people hopeless for a solution, but questions stay astir what it will beryllium - and really quickly it tin beryllium recovered earlier it becomes a play to forget.