Liverpool put in yet another pathetic performance on Saturday as they completed a fourth successive Premier League loss.
The Reds are in relegation form currently, underlined by a 3-2 defeat against Brentford.
There may have been only one goal in it once again, but the scoreline arguably flattered Liverpool. They will be miles away from a title race this season.
One of the biggest issues Arne Slot is facing is his team’s continued commitment to conceding the first goal in every game they play.
Not only do they enjoy letting in the first goal, Liverpool are also hellbent on making sure it arrives within the opening 15 minutes.
Dango Ouattara’s fifth-minute strike on Saturday was the fourth straight Premier League game in which Liverpool have conceded in the opening third of the first-half. They have lost all four games. Carry on, and Slot may be facing some serious, serious questions.
Arne Slot may be slipping towards the sack
After winning 5-1 in Frankfurt on Wednesday, Liverpool should have been in fairly good nick confidence wise going into Saturday’s game.
Instead, they started proceedings all over the place, and soon found themselves behind.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s player ratings against Brentford as Reds continue Premier League humiliation
At least they held out for three minutes longer than last time out against Manchester United, so perhaps some positives can be taken.
But in all seriousness, this is becoming a genuine concern for Liverpool. Goals have gone in on nine, 14, two and five minutes in the past four games.
Having to chase matches early on, whatever Slot’s plan was seems to go out of the window almost immediately.
As a result, Liverpool are not getting any kind of rhythm going in their displays. This is leading to players looking lost and disjointed in a set-up that was never meant to happen.
If Liverpool concede early against Aston Villa at Anfield next week then this will veer away from being a trend and will become something teams actively target when playing Slot’s team. Should that continue, there would be legitimate reasons for the Dutch coach to face the chop.
James BrookejamesbrookeEdit Profile
How do Liverpool stop conceding?
There is no question that Liverpool have been hit by a serious dose of bad luck in every single one of the four defeats recently.
Nevertheless, it cannot be put solely down to luck when something keeps happening time after time.
As a result, there likely is something Liverpool can do to stop themselves from going behind early on in matches.
What that is is now Slot and the Liverpool coaching staff‘s job to figure out. Quickly.
Sometimes goals go in at any time of games and there is nothing you can do about it. But when they keep going in early, it feels like an attitude issue. Liverpool have to start matches fighting right from the outset. Fail to do it, and Slot could be looking over his shoulder.
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