Instability and an identity loss have seen Liverpool succumb to a shadow of the side which romped to the Premier League last season.

The Reds started the season brilliantly with five wins out of five in the league.

Wins against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League and Southampton in the Carabao Cup, either side of the fifth league win in the Merseyside Derby, to make in seven wins on the spin.

This brought optimism of another successful season after winning their 20th  title with four games to go last season and summer spree of £450 million.

Liverpool fans celebrating securing their 20th League title outside Anfield – Image by Liam Fletcher

What followed was unprecedented as the reigning Champions have only won six out of their 20 league games since the win over Everton on September 20th.

The Reds have accrued 24 points from a possible 60 in this period, a rate which is worse than Roy Hodgson’s 20 league game tenure in the 2010/11 season.

Liverpool sat on 25 points after 20 league games, which saw the Reds’ sat in 12th when Hodgson was sacked on January 8th 2011.

Liverpool currently sit sixth in the Premier League on 39 points ahead of tonight’s (11th February) trip to Sunderland, six points behind rivals Manchester United in fourth.

Speaking in his press conference yesterday, Liverpool manager Arne Slot believed his side need to be near perfect to secure a Champions League position this season.

Slot said: “To close the gap between third, fourth and fifth, we have to win a lot, and that’s not what we’ve done this season.

“We have to be better and come close to perfection.”

Arne Slot needs Liverpool to be perfect for rest of season

Pundit and fan views

Former Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher believes the current squad have an uphill task to achieve Champions League football next season even if those spots grow to include fifth.

Carragher believes the current issues stem from instability and a lack of control Liverpool sides of the past have held.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday after Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Manchester City at Anfield, Carragher said: “No matter what Arne Slot does, the make-up of this squad and team isn’t right.

“It never looks stable, they are never in control.”

Fans on social media have shared the same sentiment, with top performers of last season consistently under-performing and the previous intensity within the side lost.

Anfield has often been a fortress in the past but this season the fear factor has been lost as Liverpool have lost five out of 20 in all competitions this season.

In comparison, last season saw the Reds only lose two out of 27 at home, a stark contrast.

Under Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool were regarded as a heavy-metal, high intensity side which were on the front-foot and fast-paced from kick-off.

This season under Slot this identity has been lost in its entirety.

A change from Liverpool’s past and this season’s troubles

Under Klopp, Liverpool won eight trophies in nine years fuelled by fast-paced, pressing football, a complete opposite to this season.

At times, the football has been pedestrian, and Slot’s side have often left themselves with too much work to do, conceding the first goal in ten league games so far this season.

Currently the Reds have conceded four late winners this season, a joint record in a Premier League season, with 13 games still to go.

This vulnerability has only added to fan frustration and has left Liverpool in a precarious position.

Should this vulnerability continue, questions will persist over the long-term future of Slot should they fail to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.

Despite the gloom surrounding the club, the Reds can close the gap to Chelsea and United in fifth and fourth to two and three points respectively with a win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light after yesterday’s results.

(Featured Image free to use under Alamy License)

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