Liverpool Shocked At Craven Cottage In Defensive Calamity | OneFootball

By Aiden Gharibian

The game ends 3–2 in favour of Fulham at Craven Cottage, marking Liverpool’s second league defeat of the season and their first away loss in the Premier League this campaign. Despite being a tough watch for Liverpool fans, there’s no denying that this was an entertaining match for the neutral, as it often is when Liverpool face Fulham. Liverpool were their own architects of downfall today, and there were plenty of worrying signs.

As highlighted in the title, one of the main concerns for Liverpool fans after this performance was the defensive display. Liverpool conceded 30 goals in the Premier League this season, a relatively respectable number, as it placed them second in the number of goals conceded. However, there’s no denying that their centre-backs have looked out of form recently. A rarely off-form Van Dijk, coupled with some mistakes from Konaté, does little to help an already shaky full-back partnership. Liverpool conceded three goals today, each stemming from individual mistakes at the backline, which, as Arne Slot described, is “NOT of Liverpool standard. Pair this with the loss of form from other key players, including Mohamed Salah, and it’s clear why Liverpool have been struggling to secure wins. Salah has reached his worst statistical form since 2021 — the one record the Egyptian forward won’t be too fond of this season. But what other issues have contributed to Liverpool’s recent struggles?

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Liverpool fans have been quick to point the finger at the manager, and while his debut season has been impressive, some of the blame must fall on Arne Slot. Week after week, it becomes more apparent Slot has overplayed his starting XI due to their decreasing energy levels as weeks go by. Despite this, Arne Slot has been reluctant to rotate his players, often making late substitutions like bringing on Federico Chiesa in the 82nd minute — a player fans overwhelmingly want to see more of. Liverpool fans will hope that Arne Slot builds a squad he can trust during this summer’s transfer window, and he will certainly be hoping the owners support him in acquiring the right players. Now, what does this mean for Liverpool going forward, and how can we see this from another perspective?

Despite recent criticism, there’s no denying that Arne Slot has had a fantastic debut season at Liverpool. The Reds remain 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League, a position few would have predicted before the season began. As football fans can often be reactionary, it’s important to remain optimistic, as there’s plenty to look forward to as Liverpool fans — and we all know exactly what that is.