Nothing is going well on the banks of the Mersey. After the slap received yesterday at the Etihad Stadium (3-0), Liverpool appears unrecognizable. Dominated head and shoulders by Manchester City, the Reds offered a performance of worrying passivity, far from the intensity which was their trademark. Arne Slot, helpless on the bench, bluntly recognized the opponent’s superiority: “They were better than us. We had a lot of trouble getting the ball out from the back and it was difficult for us to keep it. We suffered against Doku in the center and O’Reilly on the wings. » The Dutch technician could only see the damage: a team incapable of coming out cleanly, overwhelmed by the opposing pressure, and whose individuals collapsed collectively. In a one-sided match, the title holders seemed tired, disorganized and above all without ideas. Even the customary energy of Anfield seems to have died out on the Etihad pitch.
The numbers speak for themselves. This is already the fifth defeat in eleven Premier League matches, more than in the whole of last season. The observation is clear and Slot does not hide its face: “I feel like there are too many, and the last thing I should be thinking about right now is the title race. We should focus on getting results game after game before we even think about it. » Liverpool slip dangerously in the standings, now eighth, eight lengths behind leader Arsenal. The disillusionment is all the more brutal as the Reds remained on two convincing victories against Aston Villa and Real Madrid, giving hope for a revival. But this Mancunian demonstration brutally brought Slot’s men back to reality, namely that of a fallen champion, mentally weakened and incapable of responding to the challenge imposed by a City team that was surgical in all areas of the game.
The Reds can’t do it anymore
Even the rare clarifications of the meeting only turned into frustration. Virgil van Dijk’s goal, disallowed for offside by Andy Robertson, was a symbolic turning point for a team adrift. Slot was moved by this without taking refuge in it: “the moment you score, you look at the linesman. I didn’t see the action well. We started celebrating, then I saw it took fourteen seconds before the flag was raised. For me, a bad decision was made on the pitch and it was confirmed on video. That’s not to say it would have changed the result, because City were much better. » The Dutch coach may mention a refereeing error, but he admits that even a score of 1-1 would probably not have changed anything as the difference in level was so glaring. “Sometimes going into the locker room at 1-1 can give a different dynamic to the second half. We fixed some issues after the break. Then an incredible goal from Doku put us 3-0 up, but I still saw a team that wanted to get back into the game. » Lucid words, but which ring hollow after such a demonstration of collective helplessness.
This setback seems like a wake-up call. In an ever more ruthless Premier League, Liverpool now seem left behind, both technically and mentally. Guardiola’s shadow still hangs over a club which, after having long embodied resistance against City, today gives the impression of playing in another category. While the giant screens celebrated the Catalan technician’s 1000th match, the Reds supporters, relegated to the rank of extras, tried to forget their helplessness by singing into the void. “The reality is that we are eighth right now… The title race should be our last concern”summarized Slot, lucid but resigned. More than the defeat, it is the manner which questions with a lack of aggressiveness, restart errors, defensive absences and transparent major players. If nothing changes, Liverpool risks experiencing a long and painful season, and becoming, more than ever, the laughing stock of all England.
