Just a few short months ago, they were the hunters, the relentless machine chasing an unprecedented quadruple. Today, Liverpool look like a shadow of their former selves. The Anfield fortress looks alarmingly fragile, the famed “heavy metal football” has been replaced by a disjointed, off-key racket, and the results are stark. One win in six competitive matches is not a blip; it’s a crisis. The post-mortem on Merseyside has begun, and the reasons for this dramatic collapse are as complex as they are concerning.
A Spluttering Engine Room: The Midfield Collapse
The most glaring issue lies in the heart of the team: the midfield. For years, Liverpool’s engine room – typically featuring the tireless trio of Fabinho, Henderson, and Thiago – has been the foundation of their success. They pressed relentlessly, suffocated opponents, and shielded a high defensive line.
Now, that engine is spluttering. Fabinho looks a yard off the pace, Henderson’s incredible stamina appears to be waning, and the 36-year-old James Milner, while a phenomenal professional, cannot be the solution to a creativity and energy deficit. Teams are no longer being swarmed; they are waltzing through the middle of the park with ease, leaving the defence brutally exposed. The club’s failure to sign a top-tier midfielder this summer now looks less like a calculated decision and more like a catastrophic oversight.
Domino Effect: An Exposed Defence
This midfield collapse has a direct domino effect on the backline. Virgil van Dijk, once an infallible colossus, is starting to look mortal. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive vulnerabilities, long masked by the team’s supreme organisation, are now being targeted mercilessly.
Without the protective shield of a functioning midfield press, Klopp’s high line has gone from a tactical weapon to a liability. Opponents have figured it out: a simple, direct ball over the top is now Liverpool’s kryptonite.
A Blunted Attack Missing Mané’s Spark
Further up the pitch, the attack has lost its fangs. The departure of Sadio Mané to Bayern Munich was more than just the loss of a world-class goalscorer; it was the loss of the system’s primary instigator. Mané’s blend of chaotic energy, intelligent pressing, and decisive finishing was irreplaceable.
Darwin Núñez is a powerful focal point but is still adapting to the nuances of Klopp’s system, while Mohamed Salah, starved of service and often double-marked, is cutting a frustrated figure on the wing. The once-feared attacking trident has been dismantled, and the new formula is yet to click.
The Hangover: Physical and Mental Fatigue
Perhaps the most defining factor, however, is the intangible one: fatigue. This is not just about tired legs, but tired minds. The emotional and physical expenditure of last season’s 63-game marathon, which ended in double heartbreak in the Premier League and Champions League, has left deep scars. The “mentality monsters” look mentally drained. That razor-sharp edge, that extra five percent that turned draws into wins and defeats into draws, has vanished.
The question now is whether this is a temporary slump or the beginning of the end for this great Klopp era. The German manager has earned unwavering faith, but even he looks exasperated on the touchline. A tactical tweak may be necessary, and significant investment in the next two transfer windows is now non-negotiable. For now, the Reds are stumbling, and for a team that has forgotten how to lose, learning how to win again is proving to be a monumental challenge.
