Before Liverpool’s Premier League 2-1 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion, head coach Arne Slot spoke about the intense opponents his team were preparing to play.
Fabian Hurzeler’s side are the type of team the Dutchman prefers to face because his side and the opposition both try to play possession-based football.
Yet later in his press conference, Slot, while chuckling, suggested that after his side’s 4-0 victory over Galatasaray in midweek, he would have preferred his side to be preparing for a team more likely to operate in a low block, despite it being a problem for Liverpool all season.
After a fairly even opening 45 minutes, the second half on the south coast showed why Slot might have preferred to face a less energetic opponent.
“Brighton deserved to win if you look at the second half,” Slot told reporters in his post-match press conference. “The first half was an equal game.
“They were the better team and created the better chances. Credit to them, they were good.“
It was an honest assessment from Slot as the home side grew as the game went on, while he watched his own team wilt.
Even after naming an unchanged side, a week of rest helped Brighton collectively run more kilometres, according to TNT Sports, than Liverpool, who had just over 60 hours between their two fixtures
It was slightly more surprising to find out that Slot’s side had been outrun by the opposition in 26 of their previous 30 Premier League games, too.
Running stats do not necessarily determine whether your side is working hard. There can be a discrepancy between the overall distance covered and the number of sprints. If a team dominates possession — Liverpool have averaged 60.2 per cent possession, the joint-most in the Premier League this season — then you are likely to do less running than your opponents.
In 2021-22, for example, Liverpool amassed 92 points as they were beaten to the title by Manchester City, but were outrun in 26 of their 38 Premier League matches.
The bigger concern is the eye test. Once again, by the final whistle, Liverpool had been outthought and outfought by their opponents. That is not acceptable for any team, let alone the reigning Premier League champions.
Too often this season, the identity built by Slot’s predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, that forced opponents into submission has been replaced by passivity and a lack of intensity.
The switch to Slot was aimed at bringing control and last season a perfect balance was found as Liverpool clinched the title, but control is often earned by being aggressive and on the front foot. It is not how you would describe this version of Liverpool.
Before the second leg against Galatasaray, Slot said that his sides outwork and create more chances than their opponents in “80 or 90 per cent of the games I’ve managed”, but time and again, opponents have looked stronger physically heading into the latter stages of matches. While their flurry of late goals they have conceded this season has varied, it is a theme that cannot be ignored.
As the game wore on, it looked more likely that Brighton would extend their lead, rather than Liverpool finding an equaliser. Cody Gakpo toiled in attack and although Florian Wirtz was bright throughout, there was an absence of end product in the final third.
Any plans to replicate what Liverpool had produced on Wednesday were derailed by injuries. Mohamed Salah’s muscle problem against Galatasaray was followed by Alisson being ruled out before the Brighton game. Then Hugo Ekitike hobbled off after eight minutes at the Amex Stadium.
Liverpool prioritised buying quality in the transfer market last summer and selling players for good prices. It meant a calculated gamble was taken that they would be able to keep a smaller squad fit. Long-term injuries to Alexander Isak, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, alongside repeated fitness problems for Jeremie Frimpong, have left Slot light on options.
He has had to rely on the same core group of players throughout the campaign. Asking them to go again and again in an intense schedule has surely had an impact.
A glance at Liverpool’s bench further laid bare the issues. It has often been a mixture of youngsters and players who have barely been used by their head coach. Rio Ngumoha, 17, has performed when called upon, and produced another exciting cameo when introduced on 63 minutes, but fellow substitute Federico Chiesa was unable to impact the game.
Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool are in a tight race for the Champions League places (Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
This is not all on the head coach. There are mitigating factors, including a disrupted pre-season under tragic circumstances and players arriving who needed to adapt to the physical demands of a new league.
“Then I could come up and tell you all the reasons we have lost this season. You just heard about late goals and today sums it all up in terms of injury problems,” Slot said.
“My job is to find answers and that’s what I tried to do again today.”
But few answers seem forthcoming. The top five places in the Premier League will almost certainly guarantee Champions League qualification. Liverpool are fifth but only a point ahead of Chelsea, who lost against Everton yesterday. Liverpool face Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals and Paris Saint-Germain in the same stage of the Champions League.
Liverpool have now lost 10 league matches, their highest since the 2015-16 campaign when Klopp replaced Brendan Rodgers. They have also conceded more goals (42) than they did in each of their previous two campaigns (41).
You cannot turn a corner when the road is straight. The glimmer of hope the display against Galatasaray ignited disappeared just as quickly.
This is Liverpool’s reality and they have seven league games to find a way to amass enough points to finish in the top five.