Not even the most ardent Liverpool cheerleader could pretend that it’s been anything but a disappointing season for the Reds so far.
Arne Slot’s began the campaign as Premier League champions and many people’s favourites to retain the title, but they’ve lost five of their first 11 top-flight matches this term and already trail leaders Arsenal by eight points.
Opta’s supercomputer has predicted that LFC (currently eighth) will finish the season in a somewhat respectable third place, but Roy Keane has dismissed the Merseysiders as genuine contenders for the trophy.
Liverpool’s woes laid bare by frightening stat
A startling statistic relating to the current Premier League campaign has now emerged, and it’s one which’ll likely send a shiver up the spines of Liverpool fans.
As per Opta Analyst on X, an analysis of the amount of time that each team has spent in the various game states (winning, drawing, losing) found that the Reds have been behind for 37% of the top-flight campaign so far, compared to 39% on level terms and only 24% in front.
Only two teams have been trailing in matches for a larger proportion (Wolves 58%, West Ham 47%), and both of those are currently in the relegation zone.
Ismaila Sarr's goal in September is one of several that Liverpool have conceded early in matches this season
(Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
Liverpool have habitally fallen behind early in matches this season
Although stats like these aren’t the be-all and end-all (leaders Arsenal have trailed for only 1% less time than 14th-placed Newcastle), this one goes some way to contextualising how poor of a season Liverpool have had so far.
When Dango Ouattara gave Brentford an early lead against the Reds last month, it was the fourth consecutive Premier League game in which they conceded in the first 15 minutes, something which hadn’t happened for almost 30 years.
In contrast to how LFC frequently came from behind to win last season, they’ve lost every top-flight game in which they’ve trailed this term, with the champions’ powers of recovery nonexistent in recent weeks (barring the 5-1 romp over Eintrach Frankfurt).
Such statistics point towards a mentality issue at Liverpool, who all too often let their heads drop when they’re left needing to earn victory the hard way. Although they’ve equalised in a few of those games, that they couldn’t go on to even claim a point is a worrying trend.
At least the inverse is also true and the Reds haven’t dropped points from winning positions, either. It seems insultingly simplistic to state that the first goal in a match is important, but that has proven to the case for LFC in this enigma of a season so far.
In moments of adversity, Liverpool must remember why they’re the reigning champions and demonstrate the quality that the players clearly have. Given how congested the top half of the table currently is, a winning run could propel the Reds back into a much more desirable position.
You can watch Slot’s full post-Man City press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: