Liverpool had been deservedly thumped 3-0 away to Man Metropolis of their remaining sport earlier than the November break, prompting extra scrutiny over their £450 million summer season makeover.
Man Metropolis 3-0 Liverpool
Premier League (11) | EtihadNovember 9, 2025
Targets: Haaland 29′, Gonzalez 45+3′, Doku 63′
1. Critical questions over summer season enterprise
We’re not fairly on the stage the place you’re fearful that Liverpool purchased a group of poor gamers throughout the biggest-spending summer season of their historical past.
However the Reds’ recruitment employees higher hope that the passing of time places their latest enterprise in a greater mild, or their jobs will likely be on the road.
An enormous sum of cash was spent to renovate a squad that had received the Premier League final season and, within the brief time period no less than, that solely appears to have made it far, far worse.
It was once the case that Liverpool signings hit the bottom operating, however solely Hugo Ekitike could be argued to have accomplished that – and even he was poor right here.
In the meantime, Florian Wirtz put in one other nameless efficiency, Milos Kerkez solely appeared off the bench and Alexander Isak didn’t even depart it as a consequence of his health points.
Proper now that doesn’t seem like cash effectively spent, and the outcomes and place within the desk are proof sufficient.
2. Construct-up points rear their head once more
There are some issues a crew faces that you simply simply know can’t be solved with out dipping into the switch market, and Liverpool’s points in build-up are precisely that.
As soon as once more, developing in opposition to a reliable urgent crew, the Reds regarded like that they had no concept to progress the ball, as an alternative continuously funnelling it to a panicked Ibrahima Konate.
Opponents have commonly performed on the Frenchman’s limitations in possession this season, and he not has Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside him to sort things.
It appears like that would be the case till Arne Slot has one other passer in his again line, whether or not it’s at full-back or in actual fact as a alternative for Konate.
3. Can’t give attention to laborious luck
You would make a robust case that Liverpool had been barely unfortunate to go in at half-time trailing by two given how the primary half had performed out on the Etihad.
Erling Haaland and Nico Gonzalez’s targets had been each considerably fortuitous, whereas the guests would argue that Virgil van Dijk‘s header from a nook ought to by no means have been dominated out.
However the truth is that you simply depart your self open to falling on the flawed facet of the tremendous margins if you’re a crew that persistently permits the opposition into harmful areas and barely attain them yourselves.
And that’s precisely what Liverpool had been right here and are typically, rendering any arguments or dialogue over what they deserved totally pointless.
4. Liverpool are terrible away from dwelling
Additionally it is telling that so a lot of Liverpool’s hard-luck tales up to now this season have come away from dwelling.
Their report on the highway for 2025/26 now reads: performed eight, received three (two of these with the final kick of the sport) and misplaced 5.
And that owes a lot to an lack of ability to earn the correct to play in video games the place you should not have 50,000-plus dwelling supporters inspiring you to snap into challenges.
If the Reds don’t be taught to do the soiled work – or purchase somebody who will – then they are going to proceed to wrestle in video games away from Anfield.
5. They should benefit from their coming fixtures
So now a two-week hole to stew on this defeat and hope Liverpool don’t undergo additional accidents throughout the worldwide break.
But when there may be one upside for the Reds it’s that their fixture listing appears just a little kinder as soon as they return.
Three of the subsequent 4 are at dwelling, the place Slot’s facet are clearly significantly better, and the away sport is a visit to an enhancing however nonetheless struggling West Ham.
Maybe there will likely be an opportunity to construct up some momentum, although it should certainly solely be price a top-four push reasonably than something loftier.
