Liverpool’s season just keeps going from bad to worse.
The Reds suffered a fourth successive defeat in the league which means their title defence can be basically forgotten about, with even Man United above them in the table.
Brentford played them off the park and were unlucky to only beat the Reds 3-2 as the scoreline should have been a lot higher.
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The overall performance was far from good enough yet again, with Arne Slot needing to find a solution quickly if he is going to keep his job.
The Dutchman has changed so much, though, that it is hard to see what else there is left to do, with one player’s horrible moment in the game proving just how many issues need solving right now.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford and Liverpool at Gtech Community Stadium
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
Steve Nicol slams Virgil van Dijk for ‘horrible’ tackle vs Brentford
With the game at 2-1 on the hour mark, the message from Slot would be to stay calm as there is still plenty of time left to get back into it.
However, all that went out of the window as Virgil van Dijk made a silly challenge on the edge of the box, which was then upgraded by VAR to a penalty after it was concluded the contact was made inside the area.
Steve Nicol was just one person who could not believe he attempted that tackle, with the former Red believing that everyone is starting to be affected by their poor run of results.
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“The penalty sums up exactly what Liverpool are right now,” he told ESPN.
“You have your so called leader, so called best defender in the world, who has given a penalty away on the edge of the box on a ball that he is so late to. He’s tried to clear it!
“It is such a horrible piece of defending from a guy who we know can be so good. It is like a disease, it is spreading around the whole team.”
READ MORE: Arne Slot’s inexcusable decision vs Brentford proves exactly why fans are starting to question his future
The Dutchman is usually the ever-reliable player in the team but lately, he has struggled for form himself, showing just how much trouble Liverpool could be in.
Liverpool need to solve their defensive issues
Slot has so much to sort out that it is hard to know where to start, but the defence might need dealing with first.
Unlike last season, there is no control for the Reds during games and the defence is exposed far too often, with teams finding it easy to carve through them.
They have already conceded 14 goals in the league already, the same number as Man United, Brentford, Leeds and Fulham.
When players like van Dijk start to struggle too, that is when you know you have a big problem, with this one of the reasons the Reds’ title defence is over already.