One Win In Six - what Is Going Wrong At Stumbling Liverpool?

Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool began nan play good but now find themselves successful eighth spot aft 11 games.

Over nan past six convention games Liverpool person picked up conscionable 3 points - pinch only bottom-of-the-league Wolves gaining less successful this period.

This is contempt nan Reds spending much than £400m - and bringing successful superstar talent - successful nan summer.

So what are nan tactical reasons for why it is going truthful incorrect for Liverpool astatine nan moment?

Many of Liverpool's problems this play stem from really they build from nan back.

As a consequence of Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid successful nan summertime and goalkeeper Alisson Becker's wounded six weeks ago, Liverpool's backline is playing differently.

Giorgi Mamardashvili has replaced nan injured Alisson successful extremity and a subtle item contributing to Liverpool's shape comes from nan truth nan keepers person different beardown feet.

Mamardashvili is left-footed, which intends he plays definite passes Alisson wouldn't.

This alters nan dynamics Liverpool person been utilized to pinch nan right-footed duo of Alisson and their erstwhile lawman Caoimhin Kelleher.

Keepers are capable to play short passes much quickly erstwhile passing crossed their body. Opening up their assemblage and playing to nan acold broadside mostly takes longer.

For Alisson, this would chimney play towards Virgil van Dijk, nan stronger ball-playing centre-back. Mamardashvili's near ft ushers nan shot much people to nan correct broadside now occupied by Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley aliases Jeremie Frimpong.

For nan mostly of this season, Liverpool person opted to build up short and person struggled to do so, peculiarly down their right.

Teams person made things harder for Liverpool by pressing successful a mode that cuts disconnected nan near broadside of nan pitch, again forcing Liverpool down their right. Opponents person put attackers connected Van Dijk successful bid to minimise his on-ball power arsenic well.

When nan shot does spell to nan correct broadside of defence, Liverpool are little capable to get retired of pressurised situations without Alexander-Arnold.

What Liverpool miss successful his absence was analysed here, but his 2 footedness and willingness to play riskier passes, in-field aliases in-behind, was often Liverpool's get-out-of-jail free card.

A person look astatine individual players highlights Milos Kerkez's struggles successful disguising his passing intentions astatine times from left-back. Bradley appears to play astatine a accelerated pace, but slowing down play successful nan build-up tin really thief teams disrupt an opponent's property and found safer possession.

An accrued velocity of build-up and reduced passing value from their defence consequence successful accrued turnovers and less prolonged possessions.

Mohamed Salah was cardinal to overmuch of Liverpool's occurrence past season, truthful why has nan Egyptian been little effective truthful acold this campaign?

Liverpool's correct flank past play was impressive, often consisting of Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexander-Arnold.

Analysing nan second past play demonstrates really it wasn't only his value connected nan shot that stood retired - his fantabulous off-the-ball activity besides helped Salah shine.

Using nan crippled against Bournemouth past play arsenic an example, Alexander-Arnold would return a high, attacking midfield position centrally erstwhile Liverpool's defenders had nan ball. A Bournemouth cardinal midfielder was now responsible for defending him and they would often person to driblet deeper.

His positioning helped free up nan passing lane from Konate to Salah, allowing nan Egyptian to person nan shot pinch ease.

Salah received nan shot deeper, allowing him to move and look guardant pinch separation betwixt himself and nan full-back. This predisposition allows him to play his champion shot - attacking much directly, dribbling pinch momentum and playing passes in-field.

Another use to Alexander-Arnold's wrong position present is that alternatively than having 2 of nan midfield 3 playing successful attacking positions precocious up nan pitch, he and Szoboszlai occupied these areas instead.

This allowed 2 earthy cardinal midfielders successful Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister to beryllium positioned down nan ball, centrally. Natural protect midfielders playing down nan shot connection greater protect solidity erstwhile starting successful cardinal areas, arsenic this is wherever counter-attacks are astir dangerous.

When compared to this season, nan knock-on effects go clear.

Liverpool's full-backs find themselves retired wide successful their ain half, often incapable to find their team-mates centrally. The passing lane from Konate to Salah tin go crowded too.

Liverpool's full-backs will astatine times play passes consecutive to Salah instead. Salah truthful receives passes pinch unit from down him, meaning he is incapable to move and onslaught dangerously. This reduces really effective he tin be.

Centrally location are less midfielders positioned to extremity a antagonistic onslaught if nan shot is mislaid too. This spacing rumor is made worse because of nan accrued rotations and activity betwixt nan midfield three, an intentional tactical tweak that hasn't yet paid disconnected this season.

Liverpool pressed intensely for galore years nether Jurgen Klopp but nether Slot their out-of-possession strategies differ.

Liverpool now thin to property successful a 4-2-4 shape. A rule Slot likes to usage is having an other subordinate successful nan protect statement compared to nan number of attackers nan opponents have. This tin beryllium described arsenic having a 'plus one' astatine nan back.

Opponents often person a striker and 2 wide players positioned high. Liverpool nether Slot usually support their 4 defenders backmost to person a 1 subordinate advantage.

A consequence of this is that Liverpool usually person 1 little subordinate higher up nan transportation compared to nan opponents.

Pressing opponents that person an other subordinate successful nan build-up is simply a situation that tin beryllium addressed done beardown individual pressers.

Alternatively, nan property tin beryllium executed successful a measurement that allows 1 subordinate to screen aggregate guidance players, often by pressing 1 subordinate while blocking nan passing lane to another.

Generally, teams that property pinch less players up beforehand are looking to unit opponents into building down 1 broadside earlier cutting disconnected entree to nan different broadside of nan pitch.

At times this season, teams person exploited these protect principles.

In nan triumph against Arsenal earlier this season, Liverpool started nan lucifer by keeping a 'plus-one' successful their protect line. This meant that successful nan build-up Arsenal regularly had a spare man.

In nan illustration below, Liverpool person a beforehand 4 and a midfield two. If nan beforehand 4 pressed together, nan midfield 2 would person been outnumbered fixed Riccardo Calafiori's unsocial position.

Arsenal dominated nan first half partially because of this overload and Slot opted for a man-to-man property successful nan 2nd half to hole this.

Szoboszlai was past tasked pinch pressing Calafiori which helped Liverpool enforce themselves and showcased Slot's knowing of nan issue.

It did, however, time off Liverpool man-for-man astatine nan back, thing Slot doesn't for illustration to do.

In galore games since nan lucifer against Arsenal, Slot has reverted to his original approach, bringing pinch it nan aforesaid dilemma.

This isn't an exhaustive database of each of Liverpool's problems this play but does item immoderate of nan main issues Slot and his coaching unit will person to contend pinch to get Liverpool backmost connected track.

Liverpool's struggles from set-pieces and successful dealing pinch agelong balls, successful a convention that is progressively prioritising both, person contributed to their mediocre results this season.

There is besides nan unavoidable truth that nan tragic decease of team-mate Diogo Jota will person played connected nan minds of Liverpool's players and unit - arsenic Slot acknowledged connected Friday.

Spending large often brings pinch it value players, which should amended results. But fixed nan galore factors astatine play successful football, some connected and disconnected nan pitch, striking nan cleanable equilibrium integrating nan caller talent isn't ever easy.