Falling from the clouds - Liverpool, the Red Army s four-game losing streak, continues to sink?

In the early morning of October 20, Liverpool suffered an upset loss to Manchester United 1-2 and suffered four consecutive losses in all competitions (including three consecutive losses in the Premier League). It fell from the title favorite at the beginning of the season to fourth in the league. This team, which won the championship with a huge advantage last season, is now experiencing a "cliff decline." Why are Liverpool suddenly in trouble? What's wrong with Slott's tactical system, team psychology and locker room atmosphere? How will the competition between the Champions League and the Premier League evolve in the future?

Analysis of the root causes of the first and fourth consecutive defeats: multiple crises in tactics, psychology and management

1. The "pain of innovation" of the tactical system from "heavy metal" to "ball control first" imbalance: Slott inherited Klopp's tradition of high-position pressing, but has stronger control of the ball and rhythm control. However, this switch came at the expense of Liverpool's traditional attacking sharpness. Last season, Liverpool won the championship with this method, but this season their opponents have figured out their tactics - giving up possession and focusing on counterattacks.

The double-edged sword of formation flexibility: Slott adjusted the formation from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 to enhance midfield control. However, in the away game against Chelsea, his decision to let Szoboszlai play as a right back and Salah as a substitute directly led to an imbalance in offense and defense. Liverpool have suffered stoppage time wins in the past three Premier League games, exposing their lax tactical discipline.

2. Collapse of the defense: System loopholes are intertwined with individual mistakes. Alisson's injury has a huge impact, and the rookie goalkeeper lacks the ability to lead the defense. Konate was in a sluggish state and made repeated mistakes, leaving Van Dijk alone. Liverpool spent nearly 300 million pounds on signings in the summer, but it did not fill the hidden danger of insufficient depth of central defenders-this is contrary to Slott's prediction of "relying on the impeccable performance of Van Dijk and Konate".

3. Locker room atmosphere: The far-reaching impact of Jota's tragedy and the leadership vacuum. Jota's unfortunate death has caused lasting trauma to the team's psychology. While Slaughter said "representing this club is more meaningful than ever," the locker room lacked emotional cohesion. The spiritual legacy of the Klopp era gradually dissipated, and Slott's calm style was unable to fill the leadership vacuum, resulting in the team's lack of fighting spirit in adversity.

4. The psychological warfare of "opponents studying Thuslot". Slot said frankly at the press conference: "Because Klopp is so famous, all teams want to compete with Liverpool's new coach." When Liverpool made great progress at the beginning of the season, their opponents switched to defensive counterattack tactics, targeting the space after assists from Liverpool's full-backs.

2. The winning pattern of the Premier League and Champions League: from Liverpool crisis to Arsenal’s opportunity

1. The Premier League championship situation has been restructured, and Arsenal has become the biggest winner: Currently leading the standings with 19 points, 4 points ahead of Liverpool. Ferdinand pointed out: "This is a great opportunity for Arsenal to win the championship. They have the deepest squad depth in the league." Manchester City, Chelsea and dark horses disrupt the situation: Manchester City (16 points) and Chelsea still have stamina, and dark horses such as Bournemouth (15 points) may change the championship pattern.

Liverpool's crisis of falling behind: 4 consecutive losses not only put Liverpool temporarily behind, but may even endanger the top four seats - this is in ironic contrast to the 33% probability of winning the championship given by foreign media at the beginning of the season.

2. Champions League prospects: The paradox between Opta data and reality. Although Opta predicts that Liverpool has the highest probability of winning the Champions League (20.4%), the morale hit of four consecutive losses is difficult to ignore. Paris Saint-Germain (probability of winning 12.1%) is still the biggest threat to Liverpool's Champions League journey - Neville predicted as early as March that "Liverpool may be eliminated by Paris", and now this judgment is even more urgent.

3. Slott’s merits and demerits: strategic layout and management disputes

1. Merit: innovative tactical modernization, Slott successfully integrated the ball possession system into Liverpool, and won the championship 4 games ahead of schedule last season to prove its transformative value. After activating the new players, Wirtz has not yet fulfilled his statistics, but his passing creativity has shown; young players such as Ngumoha have been given opportunities to grow.

2. Mistakes and controversy, rigid rotation: Slott claimed that he would "rotate more frequently this season", but excessive rotation against Chelsea led to a collapse. The defensive line construction was negligent, a lot of money was spent on the frontcourt, but the central defenders were neglected to strengthen, and now they are paying the price. The shortcomings of psychological management failed to effectively resolve the team's emotions after Jota's tragedy, and failed to cope with the expectations and pressure of the "post-Klopp era".

4. Future prospects and controversial points: Can Liverpool bottom out and rebound?

1. Emergency direction adjustment or tactical callback: It is necessary to find a balance between ball control and counterattack. Is it necessary to restart Salah's core tactics? To reshape the locker room leader, Van Dijk needs to take on more spiritual leadership responsibilities, and the coaching staff needs to introduce psychological counseling. To strengthen the defense in the winter window, strengthening the central defenders should be the top priority.

2. Controversial prediction, could the Champions League be a life-saving straw? Liverpool still have a chance of winning the title, but if they are eliminated in the round of 16, Slott may face a crisis of confidence. Will Arsenal become the new king? If Liverpool continues to slump, Arsenal may take the opportunity to win the championship and rewrite the Premier League landscape. Is Slott “over-innovative”? Did its tactical reforms prematurely abandon the genes of the Klopp era? This debate will continue to rage.

Conclusion: Liverpool in adversity needs a revolution and return. Liverpool's four-game losing streak is no accident, but a concentrated outbreak of tactical transformation, psychological trauma and management errors. From title favorites to four straight losses, Slaughter's team is at a crossroads. If they can turn the tide, there is still hope for the Champions League and the Premier League; if they continue to sink, they will repeat Klopp's late "start high and go low" mistakes. As the fans say: "Sooner or later, you have to pay back" - Liverpool's glory and downfall will ultimately be determined by their choices in adversity. Controversy will last forever, football will last forever. This Liverpool team still needs to do a lot of work to be reborn in the face of adversity.