Part 2 : Liverpool’s 25/26 Struggles Explained

Liverpool’s rest defense this season has also been shambolic. The defensive structure that won Liverpool the title was built on control, a strong rest defense that protected transitions even when full-backs bombed forward. This season, that foundation looks cracked. When Liverpool lose the ball, the shape collapses too easily, it leaves a huge gap in midfield and the midfielders can’t recover in time. Teams have started sitting deep and waiting to hit on the counter, and it’s working as we saw against Crystal Palace and against Chelsea, Liverpool’s midfield was constantly played through quite easily. The gaps between defense and midfield are too wide, and the full-backs are often stranded high up the pitch. Opponents don’t need many chances, one long ball or quick switch can undo Liverpool’s structure completely. It’s a systemic error and it needs fixing and fast.

Losing Trent Alexander-Arnold to Madrid has also changed everything for Liverpool in terms of creativity and build-up. For all his 1v1 deficiencies, his move to Madrid didn’t just take away a right-back, it took away Liverpool’s creative fulcrum, their Swiss Army Knife. Trent was a cheat code, part playmaker, part tempo-setter. He dictated transitions, broke presses with sometimes otherwordly passes, and opened up the pitch in a way practically no one else in the squad can replicate. Without him, Liverpool’s buildup feels flat and predictable, Mo Salah in particular has been starved as Trent is no longer there to play those passes for him to run in behind.

Slot has tried to fill this creative gap with different methods, he has replaced Trent with Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, but neither fits the same mold. Frimpong brings energy, pace, and attacking thrust, but his game is built on direct runs, not orchestration. He stretches the field vertically, but he doesn’t build play. Bradley, on the other hand, offers discipline and work rate but lacks Trent’s vision and passing weight. Both are good players, they just solve different problems. He also signed Wirtz, an elite creator before his Liverpool arrival but he has struggled for consistent form, his usually silky dribbling has been off and his passes tended to be overhit or underhit None of them carry Trent’s range, vision, or presence. And without that outlet, Liverpool look slower in possession and far easier to press. Opponents are no longer scared to be more aggressive when they attack because they know Liverpool no longer have Trent to spring a pass in behind them. Replacing a player like Trent isn’t just about finding another right-back. It’s about rebuilding an entire creative identity and right now, that rebuild is still missing its rhythm.

No analysis of Liverpool’s struggles this season feels complete without mentioning Diogo Jota. His passing in July 2025 wasn’t just a tragedy for football, it was a shock that hit the club at its core. Jota embodied everything Liverpool stood for under both Klopp and Slot, relentless work rate, quiet intelligence, and a knack for turning half-chances into goals. He wasn’t the loudest player or the flashiest, but he was often the difference between a good performance and a winning one. Losing him meant more than losing goals; it meant losing balance.

The emotional and psychological weight of losing Jota should also not be overlooked. For Liverpool, Diogo Jota’s passing wasn’t just the loss of a teammate, it was the loss of a friend, a brother, and a steady presence in a club built on emotion. His death in July 2025 left a silence that statistics could never capture. Jota wasn’t the type to dominate headlines or dressing-room speeches, but he had something rarer, quiet influence but a joy to be around. The kind that lifts moods, calms nerves, and reminds everyone what they’re playing for. Inside Liverpool’s close-knit culture, that mattered. His absence left more than an empty locker, it left an emotional gap that still lingers in the rhythm of matchdays. Captain Virgil Van Dijk has also said multiple times that this season would be a tough one for the club.

Liverpool’s struggles this season can’t be pinned on one flaw or one person. It’s a mix of tactical imbalance, new faces still adapting, and the emotional toll of a year that has felt heavier than most. The structure that won them the league hasn’t completely fallen apart but they need to find a new edge, a new flow and they need to find it fast.
And beneath the tactics and form charts lies something deeper, the human side of football. Losing Diogo Jota changed more than a lineup, it changed a mood, a rhythm, a family. Some seasons test systems. Others test souls. For Liverpool, this one will do both and it remains to be seen if Liverpool can pick up the pieces and find a new vigour and drive to defend their crown.