Since the start of May, Liverpool have conceded 2+ goals in more Premier League games than any other side with nine, while they have conceded 14 goals in their nine league games this season. In the previous campaign they did not concede their 14th goal until their 16th game.
Liverpool’s midfield was non-existent, while hope that £116m Florian Wirtz had sparked into life with an improved performance in the 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt was extinguished here.
The German missed a glorious first-half chance and then replaced by a defender, Joe Gomez, with seven minutes left and Brentford 3-1 up.
It was quite the verdict from Slot on the influence and impact of his summer signing. The verdict from Brentford’s supporters was predictable as he departed, to chants of “what a waste of money”.
Mohamed Salah showed one flash of the old brilliance to give Liverpool hope they did not deserve in a frantic finale, but it was otherwise another poor performance from one of the club’s all-time greats, who is struggling for confidence and inspiration.
It was also a night of little reward for striker Hugo Ekitike, the one summer arrival who has flourished, as he had no service worthy of the name in the absence of the injured £125m buy Alexander Isak and midfielder Ryan Gravenberch.
Slot could not hide from the evidence before his own eyes as he told BBC’s Match of the Day: “It was a disappointing result and a disappointing performance as well.
“Conceding three goals is far too much if you want to win a game of football. First one was a set-piece, second is a counter-attack which is one of the things Brentford are really good at.
“What I have to do is look at what we do wrong and what we do right. I have a clear idea of where we have to improve, but that hasn’t been the case in other games. We didn’t do the basics right.”
Slot will have to find the answers and quickly.
Liverpool’s next four games are against Crystal Palace at Anfield in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, before another home league game against Aston Villa. Real Madrid then come to Anfield in the Champions League, before a visit to Manchester City – where you can be sure Erling Haaland will be licking his lips if he faces a defence as feeble as this.
Liverpool have a team with quality, but no shape, with Wirtz still trying to fit in, offering encouragement to any opponents with ambition. The near-£450m spend in the summer has not yet offered anything in the way of improvement or progress.
At the moment, given their struggles, Liverpool’s much-discussed blip appears to be getting that victory at Eintracht Frankfurt – unthinkable when you recall their smooth progress last season and finishing 10 points clear in top spot.
For Slot and Liverpool, this was a chastening experience and further disappointment could follow should Arsenal beat Crystal Palace on Sunday to increase the gap between them to seven points.
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