Is Liverpool’s current slump a sign of deeper problems?

Big-money signing Florian Wirtz, brought in for $156M, is still adapting to English football and has yet to register a goal contribution in either the Premier League or Champions League despite over 650 minutes of play.

British transfer record arrival Alexander Isak has also yet to find consistent scoring form, and the fluidity that once defined Liverpool’s front line appears to have vanished, especially following the high-profile departures of Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez to fund the club’s summer overhaul.

"Get clean sheets, score goals, what we have been doing last year and everyone was all happy and supporting," captain Virgil van Dijk told reporters, via NBC Sports. "Now we have a little bit of a tough moment which can change pretty quickly. We have to work for it. That’s something we realize and we need to do it all together.

"Nobody wants to lose. No fan of us wants to come here and lose and go home and feel disappointed. So we have to keep going and stick together."

Slot’s emphasis on structured build-up and positional play marks a clear philosophical shift from Jurgen Klopp’s high-octane chaos. That long-term transition will take time, but when poor results coincide with tactical change, scrutiny intensifies. Liverpool has now gone nearly a month without a clean sheet and has relied on late goals to edge past Newcastle, newly promoted Burnley and Arsenal earlier in the campaign.

Arsenal’s 2-0 win over West Ham on Saturday lifted it above Liverpool to the top of the Premier League, leaving the Reds second, just one point back, but vulnerable. Without a few moments of fortune earlier this season, they could easily be mid-table.

The season is still gelling, and patience is warranted. But Liverpool’s slump feels symptomatic of a side still searching for its identity. Whether Slot can restore rhythm and belief before the season’s momentum slips away will determine just how deep these problems run.