Why Liverpool have turned into a dysfunctional mess

 When a celebrated artist stares at his own work for too long, there is a danger they become blinded to the inherent beauty and become fixated on the blemishes.

Arne Slot, alongside the rest of Liverpool’s much-applauded football department, may reflect that he is guilty of undermining and underplaying his own work as he surveys the wreckage of a fourth-consecutive Premier League defeat. He would be well advised to show himself and the team that was tweaked so magnificently last season the respect he and it deserves.

It is hard to recall any championship-winning side demonstrating such disregard for how they actually won it.

Getting “back to basics” as Slot suggested on Saturday night, ought to begin with dusting down the 2024-25 blueprint and making Liverpool tough to beat again – playing as a team rather than a collection of individuals.

The speed of change is dizzying, not just with personnel but in the morphing of a well-organised, confident and perfectly choreographed unit into the incoherent, dysfunctional mess that was outrun, out-tackled, outmuscled and out-thought by Brentford.

Only four of those who featured against Tottenham Hotspur on the day the title was sealed in April started in the same role in the latest dismal loss in London. Some of that is due to injury, but the structural changes have been obvious since the Community Shield.

Was Slot’s title-winning formula really so bad that it needed such a radical redesign? Liverpool undoubtedly required improvements in key positions and fell short in some big games, especially in the cup competitions, but instead of a decorative makeover for a title-winning team, they look like they have been vandalised.

It would be disingenuous to rewrite history and suggest those who celebrated Virgil van Dijk’s trophy lift in May did not rank the side low on the list of the greatest champions, nor appreciate smart recruitment was required to retain the crown.

Liverpool flexed their financial muscle from a position of strength to buy seven new first-teamers they needed. The celebrations whenever a new signing was unveiled were akin to any of the winning goals last season, with an acknowledgement that such an overhaul always runs the risk of backward steps, regardless of the quality of those in the building.

Amid the discontent at current performances, the squad is so talented it is inconceivable the most expensive recruits will not show their class eventually, whether it is later this season or – the worst case scenario – the start of next. That will not disguise the sense of anti-climax, nor the bewilderment at how dishevelled they look and how seemingly obvious tactical issues are being perpetuated rather than fixed.

Liverpool’s submissive response to the long-ball, set-piece tactics of opponents is disturbing. They knew what they were up against against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Brentford, but efforts to deal with it have been progressively meeker.

Player-for-player, Liverpool are superior to Palace, United and Brentford. That did not show that in any of those matches as Slot’s side appeared to be set-up to maximise their opponents chances of victory as much as Liverpool’s.

Florian Wirtz palpably cannot currently play in a three-man midfield until he is more physically and mentally ready for English football, his use in the role at Brentford following his most productive performance for Liverpool in a wide, floating role against Eintracht Frankfurt particularly baffling.

Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté have been left exposed by the ease with which Liverpool’s defence can be counter-attacked, most obviously with Brentford’s second on Saturday night.

When Slot has reverted to the midfield trio which dominated most of its opponents last season, more often than now the in-form Dominik Szoboszlai has had to revert to full-back due to the form, or risk of a red card of Conor Bradley.

Another summer signing, Milos Kerkez, looks like the VIP bunny in a “who can most look startled in headlights” competition, and the absence of Alisson Becker has arguably accounted for at least two, possibly three, of the last five goals Liverpool have conceded.

Further upfield, Hugo Ekitike has looked sensational, but Alexander Isak – who thrived with the wide deliveries of Jacob Murphy and Anthony Gordon at Newcastle – has spent most of his time waiting in vain for the same service.

Liverpool would rather not risk losing possession than send in a high ball for their tall strikers to cause mayhem. If that continues, Isak may find himself branded like Stan Collymore or Darwin Núñez – players of a particular profile who secured a record move playing one way, and were told to change it upon arrival on Merseyside.

Then there is Mohamed Salah, who many will still argue would have inspired Liverpool to the top of the league had he taken his chances. That would have masked broader flaws, as it is now obvious Liverpool’s first seven wins this season did. Poor as Salah’s form has been, the team’s current difficulties go beyond him.

Slot will hope the performance against Brentford was the nadir of Liverpool’s difficult transition, but with a shadow side expected against Palace in the Carabao Cup and the injury list growing, there is no evidence the worst is over.

For now, Liverpool must forget the title defence. They are not performing anywhere near the level of Arsenal and need to start making steps before they can take leaps.

The reality check provided by Brentford was this: if Liverpool finish in the top four from here, they will have undergone as radical an improvement within a few months as they did in the year Jürgen Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers.