No point lying, there were few people not to get excited about the pharaonic transfer window worth almost €500 million achieved by Liverpool. Certainly starters (Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nuñez, Tsimikas and Quansah), but arrivals of established players with undeniable talent (Wirtz, Isak, Frimpong) and great promises (Kerkez, Ekitike) to allow Liverpool to begin a long reign of domination in England after the success acquired with an unchanged team the previous season.
After a sham start to the season with victories acquired by forceps, everything has collapsed since September 27, with a defeat on the pitch at Crystal Palace. What followed was a series of setbacks with a one-goal difference. Disappointing but nothing to be alarmed about. But for 3 weeks, it’s been a real bust, with spankings taken at Manchester City, and even worse, at home against Nottingham Forest and PSV Eindhoven last night in the Champions League. Former players, like Gerrard and Carragher, scream their anger on TV sets, and ultimately, the failure is based on several obvious reasons.
A terribly poorly constructed transfer window
Liverpool completely missed their transfer window. We didn’t think we’d write it this season, and yet, it’s clear that not only are the recruits not at the level, but the collective has also lost all its bearings. Florian Wirtz signed to be number 10, which led Arne Slot to modify his midfield three, which was so effective last season (Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai). Frimpong clearly did not replace Trent Alexander-Arnold and spent half his time injured, forcing Slot to tinker at right-back. Milos Kerkez is lost on the ground and destabilizes the rest of the defense.
Offensively, the only satisfaction of the transfer window Hugo Ekitike received the worst signal by seeing his new club pay the record transfer amount in the Premier League to attract Alexander Isak. A player who went on strike from training and who still seems physically out of it to bring something to his team. As a result, this expensive transfer window has destabilized rather than strengthened Liverpool.
And the failure goes even further. By failing to recruit Marc Guéhi, who then looked like the icing on the cake, in the final hours of the transfer window, the Reds surely missed the most important player to add to their squad. Because the Van Dijk-Konaté hinge has been in immense difficulty for weeks and this was again seen in a dramatic way against PSV Eindhoven. However, the only recruit in this position is Giovanni Leoni, who joined the Crusaders and will not be able to play for the season.
Disappointing executives, failed sports planning
Sports planning therefore appears to be totally unsuccessful. And we must add to this the other major problem of this team, embodied by Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian’s career is immense, and his contribution to the title last season is indisputable. But the player we are watching this season has nothing in common. No inspiration, no leg, and above all no motivation. Salah wanders like a lost soul. Finally, he has already done the hard part by seeking a two-year extension, with XXL performances and regular declarations to put pressure on. Today, he appears totally disconnected from the team, but remains a regular starter.
The tragic death of Diogo Jota, whose finesse and versatility brought many solutions to his coach, and the departure of Luis Diaz for Bayern Munich are two other reasons for Liverpool’s inability to crush their opponents. Will Curtis Jones’ heartfelt cry last night and his call for revolt be enough? Arne Slot has already played the card of the great team which will re-mobilize on its own, finding its energy and its soul. But the evil is much deeper.
