The collapse of Liverpool has stopped being a rough patch and turned into a structural crisis. Six defeats in their last seven league matches have pushed the reigning Premier League champions into an unexpected eleventh place, now closer to the relegation zone than to the top, where an unstoppable Arsenal continue to pull away. Mikel Arteta’s side widened the gap to eleven points after their latest win, and while Europe’s other giants show relative stability, Arne Slot’s squad keeps falling apart with no clear response.

The latest blow, a ruthless 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, once again exposed the lack of character in a team that last season rescued matches through sheer belief. Now, as soon as they take a hit, they crumble. With 12 matches played, they’ve already suffered six defeats and carry a locker room that has lost the competitive spark that once defined their title run.

Isak, Confusing Decisions and a Team Lost at Sea

The project that was supposed to dominate English and European football looks disorganized. High-profile signings such as Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké and Jeremie Frimpong haven’t found their role, and Slot’s tactical choices are being questioned even inside the dressing room. Starting Isak, out of form and visibly lost, over an in-form Ekitiké puzzled both the fans and the squad.

The Swedish striker touched the ball just 14 times before being subbed off as the crisis deepened. On top of that, the situation with Joe Gomez, benched despite the defensive instability and the repeated errors from Ibrahima Konaté, added more confusion. Konaté was one of the main culprits in the collapse against Forest.

Defensively, the team is riddled with doubts. The Reds have already equaled last season’s total of goals conceded from set pieces. Not even Virgil van Dijk’s authority nor the patched-up midfield’s intensity can stop the bleeding.

Rising Pressure on Slot: Can the Project Survive?

Even though winning the title in his debut season and doing well in the Champions League gives him some protection, patience is running thin. Sarcastic chants calling for his dismissal have started to echo at Anfield, and figures like Tom Werner have witnessed the disaster firsthand. The lack of reaction, the drop in intensity, and the inability to fix basic mistakes have triggered alarm bells inside the boardroom.

The squad is also emotionally burdened by the death of Diogo Jota, a blow that has marked the group. Even so, competitive expectations don’t stop. At this stage, defending the title is virtually out of the question, and qualifying for next season’s Champions League is no longer a guarantee but a serious concern.

Inside the dressing room, the message is clear: “we need to help each other to get out of this mess,” as Van Dijk admitted. But football is unforgiving. If Slot can’t halt the decline before the end of the year, his position will become unsustainable.