Roy Keane believes Liverpool are already out of the Premier League title race and now in crisis after their latest defeat.
The Reds were well-beaten 3-0 by Manchester City on Sunday in what was their fifth league loss with 11 matches played.
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Liverpool appear to be all-but out of this season's title race
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Liverpool appear to be all-but out of this season's title raceCredit: Getty
It leaves them eighth in the table and eight points behind Arsenal as their title defence was dealt another huge blow.
There may be two thirds of the season left to play, but Liverpool are already looking unlikely to win back-to-back English top flight crowns.
And Manchester United legend Keane said they're out of contention when assessing their current state.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the seven-time Premier League champion identified which areas of their game have led to their poor start.
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"At this moment in time you can't be considering Liverpool for the Premier League title, that's five losses now.
"I think it is crisis time for Liverpool, to lose seven in ten with five league losses this season, it has to be a crisis for a team like Liverpool.
"Defensively they are all over the place. The full-backs are a huge problem, the centre-half [Ibrahima Konate] looks a nervous wreck.
"You watch players dangling their legs, it's not what champions do. Put your body on the line.
"If you are not at it as a team and are a little bit off get the basics right, stopping crosses and being difficult to play against.
"From Liverpool's point of view, how badly do they want it?"
Liverpool are yet to replicate their form from earlier in the season
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Liverpool are yet to replicate their form from earlier in the seasonCredit: Getty
Roy Keane as a pundit
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Keane believes they are now a club in crisisCredit: Getty
Liverpool's £100million summer signing Florian Wirtz has come under scrutiny for his form since joining from Bayer Leverkusen and despite impressing in the midweek Champions League win over Real Madrid he struggled again.
Former City defender Micah Richards feels the playmaker has created an unwanted issue for Slot.
"Today we didn't see Wirtz again and that becomes a problem for the manager," he said.
"If you are bought for that amount of money, regardless from what league you are coming from, you should be showing more than he is showing now. You get bought for that money to show up in big games."
Strong start, but form falls apart
Liverpool entered the 2025/26 campaign as strong favourites to add another Premier League title to their trophy cabinet.
A summer transfer spree that included the signings of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz for a combined £241.5million signalled their intent.
Arne Slot during defeat to Manchester City.
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Slot cannot seem to get the best out of his star-studded sideCredit: Getty
They won all seven of their opening matches across all competitions, including a 1-0 home win against Arsenal in the league.
However, a shock 2-1 defeat away to Crystal Palace signalled the start of a dismal run that has left them searching for answers.
Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United all beat Liverpool to add to their woes.
A 5-1 thrashing for Eintracht Frankfurt sparked hope of the Reds refinding the confidence that won them last season's title.
But successive defeats against Brentford and Palace once again made it one step forward, two steps back.
Wins over Aston Villa and Real Madrid painted a similar picture before Sunday's loss at City.
Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku goals swept Liverpool aside in what was a deserved win for the hosts.
British record £125m signing Isak did not make an appearance off the bench, a decision from Arne Slot that raised eyebrows.
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The November international break may come at a good time for the Reds ahead of the busy festive schedule.
But it would now take a monumental effort throughout the rest of the season for Liverpool to put themselves back in the title race.