Liverpool won the transfer window. So we were led to believe, anyway.
On paper that statement appeared to be true. Arne Slot and Co had spent a colossal amount of money on improving the squad, notably signing Florian Wirtz for a British record of £116m before breaking that very record just weeks later when they shelled out £125m to sign Alexander Isak.
Those two deals made the Reds favourites for the title but the once successful Slot era appears to be unravelling rather quickly.
The Anfield outfit may have won the Premier League in 2024/25 but they look a shadow of that side now.
Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah signed new deals but that matters not; both look beyond their best.
As for Wirtz and Isak, the numbers are damning. They have only scored once between them since moving to Merseyside.
So, after losing 2-1 to Manchester United on Sunday, there are clearly some big issues to fix.
The biggest problems facing Arne Slot at Liverpool
Much has been made of Liverpool’s regression as a defensive unit this season.
Andy Robertson has been forced to sit out most games on the bench, even if Milos Kerkez continues to underperform, while Trent Alexander-Arnold arguably hasn’t been properly replaced.
Conor Bradley has endured a slow start to the campaign and Jeremie Frimpong’s debut term at Liverpool has so far been full of injuries.
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Despite that, however, some may well argue that the biggest problems are in the centre of defence.
Ibrahima Konate appears to be distracted by speculation surrounding his future and Van Dijk is no longer the force he once was, something that was demonstrated when Liverpool conceded in the first minute on Sunday.
Amad picked up the ball on the right and threaded a lovely ball through towards Bryan Mbeumo.
The Van Dijk of old would have anticipated the pass and then intercepted the play but he was caught napping. The great Dutchman was slow to react, slow to get back and slow to track Mbeumo. The end result? The Cameroon international found the back of the net.
However, while Liverpool continue to struggle at the back, the tactical make-up of the team has been a problem from minute one of the Community Shield.
Salah is having less of an impact on games and has only scored one non-penalty goal in the Premier League during the first eight game weeks.
New signing Hugo Ekitike and fellow forward Cody Gakpo have been rare bright sparks but even the latter should have taken the game out of sight on Sunday. The Dutchman scored but also struck the woodwork an incredible three times.
Plenty of new signings there certainly are, but there’s a lack of chemistry and synergy from Slot’s men and it’s worrying that he can’t get a tune out of three of the most exciting forwards around in Salah, Isak and Wirtz.
You sense the future of the club needs to be built around the final two names but that’s easier said than done considering their form so far.
To only exacerbate the problems Slot is facing, the midfield are also not covering themselves in much glory.
Slot's midfield conundrum
This has been a peculiar start to the campaign and it just seems as if Slot cannot strike the right balance.
On Sunday, he ended the game with a central midfielder at right back in Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong at right wing. It’s good that the manager has options and flexibility but he simply isn’t using his squad correctly.
The midfield continues to be an issue, too, although that feels more down to overall player performance.
Ryan Gravenberch has floated in and out of form but the regression of Alexis Mac Allister has been more worrying.
Signed for just £35m from Brighton, he has long been seen as a bargain. Last season he was perhaps unfortunate not to be nominated for Premier League player of the year ahead of Gravenberch as Liverpool won the title.
Yet, in 2025/26, he’s been a shadow of his former self and the defeat to United summed that up.
Eventually replaced just after the hour mark, the Argentine left the field having had just 22 touches and completed only 13 passes, a worryingly low amount for a central midfielder.
Minutes played
62
Touches
22
Accurate passes
13/17 (76%)
Long balls completed
0/2
Shots
2
Shots on target
1
Key passes
0
Tackles
0
Interceptions
0
Recoveries
1
Duels won
0/2
There lies the issue, though. Too many games are simply passing Mac Allister by right now and he’s becoming a scapegoat as a result.
In the process of losing every duel he contested, criticism came the midfielder’s way. One Reds content creator on X bemoaned that the Argentina international as the “most overrated player” in the Liverpool squad, suggesting that he “plods around like he’s pushing 40” from the middle of the park.
Mac Allister is usually so technically secure but he lacks athleticism and power to get across the field in a similar way to Gravenberch.
GOAL handed the player an average 6/10 rating at full-time, noting that he “covered plenty of ground, but was quiet by his standards.”
The midfielder has been one of Liverpool’s standout performers in recent years but it really does feel like he’s currently on borrowed time in this system.
A midfield trio of Gravenberch, Wirtz and Szoboszlai feels like the way to go from now on and with Curtis Jones also waiting in the wings, it’s not as though Slot is short of options.