From Champions to Chaos: Liverpool's Comeback Quest Under Slot

Liverpool's Crisis After Title Glory

Since lifting the Premier League trophy a few months ago, few imagined Liverpool would sink into doubt and trouble so quickly. Three straight defeats, a dip in performance, fading stars, and a coach trying to balance the team again — this is Arne Slot's toughest test since taking charge of the Reds.

According to The Athletic, Liverpool are in a critical stretch after a painful loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where Estevao scored a decisive late goal that deepened the Reds' wounds and unsettled their balance.

Even with the international break providing a calm moment, anxiety hangs over the club, and momentum is not something to be trusted. Slot has two weeks to reassess and figure out how to salvage what can still be saved. Early-season results had helped him hide weaknesses, but recent events have exposed them all.

They looked toothless against Chelsea, even though Chelsea played with one man down; after Cody Gakpo equalized following Moisés Caicedo's opener, the Reds failed to impose themselves and wasted chances, while defensive fragility was evident.

Slot aimed to develop a Liverpool style this summer to be more dominant in possession and better at breaking blocks, spending 450 million pounds on attackers like Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Yet the balance and toughness that defined last season appear absent.

Conceding two goals in six matches this season shows that the transitional phase is real, not just a blip.

The tragedy of Diogo Jota's death last July remains a wound for the squad. The mood in Preston after that loss is still remembered, and captain Virgil van Dijk stressed that the season would be hard and that the club must stay calm and united.

Van Dijk urged unity, saying the team remains only a point off the top of the Premier League and that everyone — players, staff, and fans who celebrated the title — must keep backing the club. He spoke of a slow return to form and a belief that, when they come back from the break, a big game against Manchester United awaits.

Thus, Liverpool stands between a long-term project and a difficult reality. This transitional phase could define what remains of the season under the banner from champion to confused.

Punchline time: if this season were a recipe, Liverpool would need more seasoning than a simple pinch of salt. And a dose of defense would not hurt either. One more line: when life gives you a shaky defense, you call in the midfield to babysit the backline — good luck with that plan!