
Ryan O'HanlonOct 7, 2025, 03:25 AM ET
- Ryan O'Hanlon is simply a unit writer for ESPN.com. He's besides the writer of "Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution."
Nothing astir Liverpool's 2025-26 play has made overmuch sense.
Two weeks ago, the Reds were cleanable atop the Premier League table, already odds-on favorites to triumph the league earlier the calendar adjacent flipped to October. They had a five-point pb implicit 2nd spot -- thing that had lone ever happened 1 different clip successful league past that aboriginal into the season.
And yet, nary 1 truly felt that large astir it. They'd won 4 of the 5 league games with goals successful the 80th infinitesimal oregon later, and they'd won their Champions League and Carabao Cup matches with goals successful the 92nd and 85th, respectively.
That couldn't continue, but neither tin this. They've since mislaid 2 consecutive Premier League matches to goals successful the 97th and 95th minutes. Last season, they mislaid 2 Premier League games -- total -- earlier they clinched the league title. Throw successful the 1-0 nonaccomplishment to Galatasaray successful the Champions League past week, and they've mislaid 3 games successful a enactment for the archetypal clip since 2023. Their manager, Arne Slot, has present mislaid 3 consecutive games for the archetypal clip successful his career.
Slot has been searching for answers, too, though that process started earlier the losing streak began. Despite 7 wins from the archetypal seven, helium changed the lineup and attack importantly for the nonaccomplishment to Crystal Palace. Against Galatasaray, helium started past season's attacking midfielder, Dominik Szoboszlai, astatine right-back, and Jeremie Frimpong, signed this past summertime to regenerate past season's right-back, astatine close wing. And successful the astir caller nonaccomplishment to Chelsea, Slot benched Florian Wirtz, the once-club-record €125-million signing from Bayer Leverkusen.
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What is Liverpool's champion XI? How bully is this team? Is it clip to usage the "c-word"? Can they ever play a mean game? Should we truly beryllium freaking retired astir the defending champions being conscionable 1 constituent backmost of archetypal place? Will Florian Wirtz ever people a goal? Might helium 1 time registry an assist? Alexander Isak, hello? What happened to Alexis Mac Allister this summer? Is their champion right-back really their champion attacking midfielder?
There is each kinds of uncertainty astatine Anfield close now, but done 7 games, there's astatine slightest 1 happening we tin accidental for sure: If Read Entire Article

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