By Steven Northover

The stats are stark. 

Liverpool have now lost more in their first ten matches than they did in the entirety of last season. They are ten points behind where they were this time last season and have scored five goals fewer and, more concerning, have conceded eleven more after eleven games. 

So is it time to worry? 

The short answer is yes. The long answer is ‘yes’, but with more expletive language. 

Story of The Match

Liverpool are missing…something. 

Both tactically and mentally, the squad doesn't seem to have ‘it’ in the same way they did last season. So far this season, there have been two types of Liverpool games, games where Liverpool have scored first and won, and games where Liverpool fall behind and lose. This is to say, Liverpool simply lack the character to come back into games once the opposition scores. 

Which is exactly what happened on Sunday. 

Manchester City were certainly the team ‘on top’ throughout, and to say anything else would be false, but Liverpool still made chances, and there was always the possibility that they could nick a goal if the situation presented it.  Even after the penalty save from Giorgi Mamardashvili, followed by Erling Haaland's opening goal, the Reds were still ‘there’.  The turning point could (should?) have been Virgil van Dijk’s header, which was quickly ruled controversially offside. Instead, Liverpool fell apart from there.  An injury time goal from Nico González in the first half, meant that it was now not a question of whether or not Liverpool would lose, but a question of just by how much. 

In truth, it was worse than that.  Manchester City, without Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, played Liverpool off the park in every position. 

In my preview, I wrote that City's biggest attacking threat was Haaland, and whilst he scored a goal, he wouldn't have been missed if he didn't. In that same article, I wrote that it was a match that would be decided on who's defence ‘broke first’. It was Liverpool’s, emphatically. Ibrahima Konate, in a similar vein throughout this season, was caught out of position on a number of occasions. Meanwhile, Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku menaced and harassed a largely ineffective Connor Bradley, leading to his first goal since January, and Man City’s third. 

Post van Dijk’s offside, Liverpool attacks were largely restricted to snapped shots from outside the area. Mohamed Salah once again was partly marooned on the right handside, whilst Florian Wirtz continued his habit of not being able to get into games in the league.  But ultimately, whether that goal stood or not, Liverpool were always going to lose. Manchester City were better than them, in every part of the pitch. 

Like I said at the top of the page, something is missing at Liverpool. 

International Break - Time to Fix

The season now pauses for two weeks for the international break, twenty players will leave the club for national sides, leaving Arne Slot and a few reserve team players left behind. Not for the first time, Slot now faces two weeks of trying to figure out, once again, what’s going wrong, and how to fix it. 

A couple of players will be returning to fitness, notably Alisson Becker, but other than that, the same players that left for their national sides will be the same that come back. So it is up to the manager to figure out how and where to do that. 

What and how he should go about that is something for another article, but for here whatever he does plan to do, we are now in the middle of Arne Slot’s most important period at the club, a period that will have a great impact on what his long term reputation will be. 

The world is watching, he has to get it right.