The Arnold Exit: Liverpool's Hidden Cracks Surface

The Arnold Exit Exposes Liverpool's Balance Problem

Liverpool's current form isn’t a total crisis, but it is a clear warning for a team that has just endured three straight losses across all competitions. Losses arrived with late, decisive goals, and while each could be justified on its own, the broader context cannot be ignored: the side that began the season with five wins never truly clicked as a unit.

The man in charge, Dutch coach Arne Slot, is still searching for the right formula. New arrivals have yet to fully gel, and the harmony that made last season’s Liverpool look so coherent remains elusive this campaign.

Where last season the team looked composed, controlled and capable of grinding out results, this season feels more chaotic in the middle of the park—almost as if the club is in a late transitional phase after Jürgen Klopp’s departure from the dugout (as described in some circles).

Why Liverpool's Balance Is Fraying

Integrating a new player into a settled system is always tricky. The squad needed to adapt to fresh priorities, while teammates had to adjust to unfamiliar textures of those newcomers’ games. It’s no surprise if a temporary wobble follows such significant changes, even in a club used to rapid adaptation during transfers.

Last summer, Liverpool avoided upheaval by sticking with one major addition, Federico Keita, but this summer they added five players, which unsettled the balance and raised expectations that the core would be easier to rebuild around. In addition, the club has mourned the tragic passing of Diego Jota, a blow that has weighed on spirits and performance ahead of the new campaign.

On the pitch, the team has shown it can still compete, but the overall balance has drifted. The defense can be exposed, and the midfield can look disjointed, with center-backs often left in isolated situations. The tactical plan that once gave Liverpool its trademark stability now seems vulnerable to quick transitions and mismatched personnel.

As Slot tries to reestablish a coherent shape, the tactical debate has intensified. The early experiment of shifting from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1 intended to free Florian Wirtz as a creator, but it disrupted the balance of the trio at the heart of the midfield—Gravenberch, Mac Allister, and Szoboszlai—at a time when Mac Allister is still regaining full match sharpness after injury.

Consequently, Slot has recently reverted toward the old 4-3-3 by necessity, but the problems persist: the defense isn’t as compact as it once was, and the central pairing often looks vulnerable. The shift hasn’t yielded the expected stability, and the side has paid the price with additional risky moments at the back.

Alongside these tactical questions, the team has a second, more subtle issue: the evolving wing-backs. Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong bring different strengths than their predecessors and require time to build the same structural understanding that Arnold historically offered with his long-range passes and sinuous overlaps.

Arnold’s absence is felt most when Liverpool tries to balance risk with speed. He was more than a right-back; he was a creator who could also anchor the defense with composed distribution. Now, Salah and co. face a more variable supply line—without the same precision and depth in the final third that Arnold’s presence once guaranteed.

Mohamed Salah himself has started the season in a quieter, less instinctive rhythm. He hasn’t yet found seamless chemistry with the new forwards, and the absence of those reliable cross-field balls has left him searching for space to operate. The team misses that intuitive connection that once unlocked space for the likes of Salah to cut inside and threaten the goal.

The Coming Challenge

It’s natural for any new system to stumble at the outset, especially after a sweeping set of changes. Yet the deeper issue isn’t merely the adaptation of the newcomers; it’s the absence of a unique technical identity that Arnold helped sustain. He transformed the right flank into a dynamic engine, delivering passes that unlocked runs and helped maintain structure at moments of pressure.

As Slot works to sculpt a new Liverpool in his own image, the club at least for now appears to be paying a price for losing a player who gave the position its distinctive character. The hopeful takeaway is that once the pieces settle, Liverpool can again emerge as a balanced, disciplined unit; the risk is that this rebuilding phase drags on longer than fans would like.

In any case, if you’re drafting a starting XI for the next few weeks, consider this a reminder: even giants need a sparkplug. And right now, Arnold was that sparkplug—proving that even in football, the right spark can light a whole room, or at least the right wing, on fire. As Slot rebuilds, Liverpool will be watching, waiting, and hoping the missing balance returns soon. And yes, for the record, I’m rooting for the post-match champagne—may it be served with a side of better rotations and fewer late heartbreaks.

Punchline time: If football had a dating profile, Arnold would be “Loves long passes, hates being benched, enjoys rhythm in the final third.” And if Liverpool’s season needs a date to the ball, maybe a certain right-back is still out there somewhere, ready to be revived for the encore. Second punchline: The only thing more fluid than Salah’s runs right now is our collective optimism—both are on a bit of a rollercoaster, and apparently the ride operator is wearing flip-flops.