After winning the league in dominating fashion, Liverpool looked to strengthen an already powerful squad. They chose to upgrade their fullback positions with the signings of Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth and Jeremie Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen. In attack, Liverpool spent not only 79 million British pounds on Frenchman Hugo Ekitike, but also spent a cumulative 240 million pounds on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Both purchases shattered the British transfer window. Center back Giovanni Leoni and Georgian Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili also joined in the window, bolstering the Scousers’ depth. With all these additions, Liverpool seemed destined to win the title in stunning fashion.
“The team definitely added a lot talent in the transfer window. I do not fully understand what is going wrong with the team right now,” junior Momchil Yanchev said.
Liverpool also lost key players over the summer before this season. The tragic passing of star striker Diogo Jota significantly affected the team’s morale. The further sales of Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich and Darwin Nunez to Al Hilal signified a change in direction for the Reds. These transfer losses have translated into on-field losses, with the champions already losing close to half their Premier League games this season and sitting at an unconvincing 13th in the Champions League.
“With how much they spent before this season, their performances have been subpar,” junior Jay Wu said.
One of the main issues with the team this season is in the final third. Isak and Wirtz have failed to hit the ground running, with only two goals between them from the record-breaking transfers. Right winger Mohammed Salah has not hit the same heights he did last season. Salah scored 34 goals and 24 assists across all competitions, earning him the PFA Player of the Year. This season, Salah has scored only five goals and provided two assists across all competitions, a slow start by his high standards. These culminating problems have led to Liverpool’s issues in front of goal.
The defensive side of the game has also not gone well for Liverpool this year. One of their greatest players and one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, Allison Becker, has been injured for large parts of the campaign. Captain Virgil Van Dijk has not been at his highest point either. Milos Kerkez and Ibrahima Konaté have struggled to be as consistent as they were last season. The loss of local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid has also been a blow to the Liverpool squad, as the Englishman has played consistently at right back for several seasons. Liverpool have already conceded more goals than newly promoted Sunderland, a team that doesn’t contain as many high caliber players as the Reds.
“Some of the issues are certainly individual, but midfield issues have left the defense exposed on the counter attack this year,” gym teacher Coach Connolly said.
With all these different problems plaguing Liverpool, questions are being asked of the manager, Arne Slot. As last season’s league winner, he’s certainly entitled to some leeway for a few bad results. However, many fans wonder if the Reds manager is on the hot seat.
The Premier League is unpredictable, with each season bringing new heroes and devastating collapses. Will Liverpool be able to bounce back? Only time can truly tell.
