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BIRMINGHAM, England — If you can’t be good, be lucky. Unfortunately for Liverpool, they have not been either over the course of this torturous campaign.
It is hard to know which of the Reds’ 19 defeats in all competitions has constituted the nadir of this shambolic title defense. Surely their newest — an error-strewn 4-2 loss against Aston Villa — is a strong contender.
By now, though, this is a familiar dance for Arne Slot’s side. Too often this term, there have been heads in hands and angsty recriminations. Too often, Liverpool have been, by quite some distance, second best.
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The Reds’ assignment Friday night was, on paper, a simple one: win and they would salvage UEFA Champions League qualification from the wreckage of a season fans and players alike are only too eager to forget. That they failed to do so means their hopes of winning a seat at Europe’s top table now hang in the balance, with the matter likely to be decided on the final day next weekend, when Liverpool host Brentford at Anfield.
In truth, the writing was on the wall early in the second half at Villa Park when Ryan Gravenberch, with Liverpool already losing 1-0, tumbled to the turf after being outmuscled by Youri Tielemans in midfield. It was a tableau that encapsulated the very worst of Slot’s side, who have so often looked ill-equipped this season for both the mental and physical rigors of this sport.
The Reds had actually had the better of proceedings in the first half but, with striker Alexander Isak sidelined and Mohamed Salah only fit enough for a place on the bench, they lacked the potency to really trouble Villa’s defense.
Sources told ESPN that Isak’s absence was precautionary, with Liverpool keen to protect the Sweden international following his return from a broken leg last month.
Still, it is impossible to escape the fact that Slot’s side have so far had a meager return on last summer’s £125 million investment in a striker that was expected to take them to the next level. A tame second-half shot from Florian Wirtz — introduced from the bench after recovering from illness — only compounded the overwhelming sense that Liverpool’s big-money signings have been distinctly underwhelming.
The visitors’ failure to capitalize on their early dominance opened the door for Morgan Rogers to curl home a fine strike shortly before halftime, igniting a spark in a Villa side that had up until that point seemed to have one eye on next week’s UEFA Europa League final.
Liverpool managed to haul themselves level through a header from captain Virgil van Dijk after the break and looked to be the team in the ascendancy when the tricky Rio Ngumoha hit the post with a curling shot. But, just 73 seconds later, Villa were ahead after Dominik Szoboszlai’s slip was seized upon by Rogers, who teed up Ollie Watkins to finish coolly past Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Liverpool will look to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season by winning on the final day of the Premier League season. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)Szoboszlai has been, by some distance, Liverpool’s Player of the Season, but even he is not immune to the infectious malaise that has gripped Slot’s side this term. It was a blow from which Liverpool never recovered, with further goals from Watkins and John McGinn — before a late Van Dijk consolation — condemning them to yet another chastening defeat.
It is a loss that brings with it another barrage of unwanted records for Slot, who like the majority of his players has lost the magic touch that helped propel Liverpool so emphatically to the Premier League title last season.
The Reds have now conceded 20 set piece goals in the top flight — more than any other team — and have conceded an overall tally of 51 goals, which is their most in a Premier League season and in a 38-game league season since 1914-15.
They have picked up just one point out of a possible 24 away to teams in the top nine this term and have failed to come from behind to win a league away game in which they have been trailing at halftime in 14 attempts under Slot.
“I can understand that, at this moment in time, [the fans] don’t have a lot of confidence or a lot of feeling that things can be much better next season, but I think then they are underestimating what a window can do, what a new start can do,” the Liverpool boss stated in his postmatch news conference.
“I think we know quite well what to improve. I don’t think the difference is so big, only doing the right thing in a few situations can have a massive upwards possibility.”
Ahead of Friday’s game, Slot told reporters he had “every reason” to believe he would still be in charge at Anfield next season, despite growing dissent within the fanbase.
Certainly, owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have been unwavering in their determination to stand by the Dutchman, who thinks many of Liverpool’s problems can be rectified in the transfer market.
FSG’s belief, however, is not shared by the vast majority of Reds supporters and, on the evidence of this newest showing, it is hard to blame them. As the Liverpool players trudged off the pitch Friday night, the Champions League anthem blared around Villa Park as the hosts celebrated clinching qualification for next season’s competition. At present, it is hard to have much faith that Liverpool are capable of doing the same.
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