Liverpool acknowledge the need for an immediate improvement in results but remain committed to Arne Slot despite a sharp dip in form. After a sequence of early wins sparked by late goals, the club have lost five of their last six matches, including four consecutive Premier League defeats.

Reports of unrest and speculation about Slot’s position have circulated, yet Fabrizio Romano states Liverpool’s faith in the Dutch boss remains unwavering and there are no plans to even consider making a change in the dugout. Club officials are said to be “100% convinced” that Slot is the right manager to guide the side forward.

Inside Liverpool there is an acceptance that alterations to the squad have affected fluidity and cohesion on the pitch, and that those adjustments are a significant factor in the slump. The squad is understood to still support the manager and are prepared to give him time to find solutions.

The club view the recent defeats as primarily tactical problems: opponents have taken approaches Liverpool have struggled to counter. The list of recent losses includes Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford. That sequence has prompted debate about the team’s physical profile and set-piece vulnerability.

Jamie Carragher, who recently argued the Reds were approaching a “crisis”, attributed part of the problem to a lack of physicality, saying the side have failed to deal with long throws and set pieces.

The immediate priority for Slot and his staff is to adjust tactics or personnel to address those shortcomings and restore cohesion. There is hope within the club that such changes will halt the run of poor results.

Slot’s next opportunity to stem the pressure arrives on Wednesday, when Liverpool face Crystal Palace in a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie. Palace were the first side to beat Liverpool in this recent sequence and also prevailed in the Community Shield earlier in the season.

The 2025 FIFPRO World XI nominees were announced on Monday and the shortlist left a number of established performers off the list. Several omissions have prompted debate over which players deserved recognition.

Harry Kane was one of the most surprising names absent. He led the Bundesliga in scoring last season, finished with 41 goals in all competitions and won his first major trophy. Kane also finished fifth in the European Golden Boot race behind Kylian Mbappé, Viktor Gyökeres, Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski. The shortlist included two of those names and excluded two, making his omission notable given his scoring numbers.

The exclusion of Gabriel also raised eyebrows. “It’s honestly preference comparing Gabriel and William Saliba, but for many who watched Arsenal closely the Brazilian was arguably the better of the two last season.” The piece highlights Gabriel’s role as a defensive leader who also poses a significant threat from set pieces and notes he is being spoken of as a potential player of the season for the current campaign.

Wojciech Szczęsny was another overlooked name. He returned from retirement midseason to join Barcelona in crisis and made his debut on Jan. 4. By the end of the campaign he had added three more trophies as Barcelona completed a first domestic treble. He subsequently earned a new contract extending his stay through 2027.

Liverpool’s midfield pairing also suffered from the voting. The article points to Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch being left out and argues both had strong claims. Mac Allister missed only three Premier League games last season, contributed 10 goal involvements and was an important part of the title-winning engine room.

Finally, Moisés Caicedo was highlighted as a major snub. Caicedo played every Premier League match last season as Chelsea secured a top-four finish under Enzo Maresca, scored in the UEFA Conference League final and played a major role in Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup victory over the summer.

These five absences underline the difficult choices in assembling a World XI and why the 2025 shortlist has drawn criticism.

Jamie Carragher warned of “crisis time” for the reigning champions after a sequence of defeats that exposed persistent tactical flaws. Opponents are increasingly exploiting long balls and set pieces, a problem that left Arne Slot openly puzzled after yet another game in which those methods produced goals.

Brentford’s recent success from dead-ball situations was no accident. Keith Andrews was exclusively tasked with overseeing the club’s dead-ball strategy before taking over the hot seat from Thomas Frank in the summer, and an ever-expanding pool of Liverpool opponents have adopted similar direct plans. Manchester United and Chelsea both racked up season-high tallies of long passes in their recent victories against the Reds, leaving Slot to bemoan such a strategy from teams “with all their talented players.”

The Dutch boss conceded: “It is definitely that teams have a certain playing style against us; it is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet.”

Carragher blamed the lightweight profile of the squad for their failings in these robust aspects of the game. “Liverpool have to look at the physicality and height within their team because, right now, I don’t think they have enough,” fretted the retired centre back—who takes great pride in amassing more than 500 Premier League appearances despite standing at less than 6’ tall—on Sky Sports .

He added: “Losing four games in a row for Brentford would be a disaster,” and warned: “To see the champions do it with the expenditure in the summer means we’re in crisis time for Liverpool right now.

“There will be a lot of serious questions asked in the dressing room between the players and the coaching staff and the people above the manager. When they’ve looked at what they’ve spent, they’ll be looking for a lot more.”

Several of the players accused of frailty arrived in the summer. Florian Wirtz hasn’t quite caught up to the Premier League ’s blood and thunder while Jeremie Frimpong is rarely fit enough to prove whether he can meet those demands. Even though Milos Kerkez thrived in a buccaneering Bournemouth side last term, the change of scenery has seemed to rob the fullback of any physical authority.

Gary Neville offered a milder verdict. “It’s not just a blip any more, it’s becoming a concern,” he mused, adding: “Arne Slot’s Liverpool remind me a bit of my old Man Utd team.” “We went through mad periods where we always looked capable of scoring, but we were all over the place.”