Liverpool are spiralling down the Premier League table after another defeat and Arne Slot now faces an important point of his Anfield tenure
Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool look dejected during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22 2025
Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch of Liverpool look dejected during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on November 22 2025
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Never mind the taunts from the away end or the grumbles and smattering of jeers that greeted the final whistle. For Arne Slot, the most worrying sound of Saturday would have been the clacking of plastic seats that was initiated by the cheap concession of a goal from Morgan Gibbs-White that ensured one of the grimmest home defeats in recent memory for Liverpool.
With 12 minutes remaining and Forest three goals up, a steady number of Reds supporters had seen enough as they started their trudge back home having witnessed another dismal showing from the outgoing Premier League champions.
There were echoes of Jurgen Klopp's infamous lament of feeling alone when fans streamed out long before the end of his first defeat in charge at home to Crystal Palace a decade earlier, albeit that when Liverpool were only 2-1 behind rather than heading for a record-equalling Anfield Premier League reverse.
Slot, though, cut a similar solitary figure on the touchline as the sight of so many empty seats behind him in the Main Stand made for a jarring image.
These are difficult times for the Reds boss, who is negotiating the difficulties that many of his predecessors experienced during their first season in charge. Unlike all of the appointments during the Premier League era, Slot took on a team that was ready-built for success rather than one either in decline or simply failing.
Only now, after a £450million summer rebuild that was primarily through necessity than design, is the Dutchman having to contend with issues with which those before him were more instantly faced.
Getting any wavering fans onside will be an immediate task, starting with the Champions League visit of PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday. The matchgoing Liverpool support are still very much with Slot, but even those loyal are becoming a little unsettled by the manner of the last three defeats, all by a 3-0 scoreline.
Virgil van Dijk's post-match comments of the players letting down their boss are not without credence - particularly when it comes to the Reds not having sufficient appetite for a scrap - but Slot hasn't helped himself with some curious team selections, appearing at times to think several steps ahead rather than addressing more pressing concerns.
When appointing Slot 18 months ago, much stock was put by Liverpool in the former Feyenoord man being titled head coach rather than manager, his focus on training and coaching the team.
That very much worked with the players he inherited who were already adjusted to the unique demands of playing for the club. Now, with so many new arrivals still adapting, Slot is finding it much more demanding.
It hasn't helped that key squad players have either been injured or nowhere near full fitness. But complaints of individuals not having a proper pre-season must now be banished: the season is now more than three months old.
Might Slot have to rip up his tried-and-trusted playbook? That might be a bit of an extreme reaction, but at the very least some tweaking is required to strengthen a defensive resolve that has almost entirely disappeared this season, Liverpool shipping 20 goals in 12 games and at least two in eight of those.
That may also come with a change of personnel. Joe Gomez cannot be kept wrapped in cotton wool any longer given the travails at right-back and Ibrahima Konate's centre-back slump, Wataru Endo would offer a more safety-first option in midfield while the energy of Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha would surely be of benefit, even in merely longer stints from the bench.
Going back to basics and becoming more pragmatic may not be Slot's default setting, but the best managers are always open to compromise.
Regardless, Slot evidently cannot carry on down the same path right now. It simply isn't working and opposing teams have long targeted Liverpool's increasing shortcomings.
With December fast approaching, the statistics for the calendar year paint a troubling picture for Liverpool that outlines their decline, at least in terms of results, hasn't been overnight.
Since January 1, the Reds have played 48 games, winning 25, drawing only six and losing 17.
Compare that to the previous 12 months, when they won 43, drew eight and lost only six. Under Slot alone, in that time Liverpool won 23, drew three and was defeated just once - at home to Forest last September.
Indeed, since the Premier League win over Southampton in March, the Reds have won as many times as they have lost - 14 - and drawn only twice. For some context, that's as many times as they had been beaten in the previous two years combined.
The curious lack of draws highlights Liverpool's lack of durability and a sense of either mental fatigue or something more damaging. In the Premier League this season, every time the Reds have gone ahead they have won. Every time they have gone behind they have lost.
It may come as a surprise that the last time Liverpool lost six out of seven league games was only less than five years ago during February and March of 2021, albeit with no supporters in stadia due to pandemic restrictions.
That, of course, came immediately after the Reds had last won the Premier League, a further example of how Liverpool find it difficult to retain trophies - it will soon be at least 43 years since they have done so unless something remarkable happens during the remainder of the top-flight campaign.
But while the visit of PSV could provide a much-needed injection of confidence - the Champions League has predominantly been a soothing balm this season - the following week will be the most critical for both Slot and Liverpool.
A Sunday trip to an improving West Ham United is followed by a midweek visit of promoted Sunderland and then a clash at lowly Leeds United. Three games in seven days, much will be known about the present and the future after those.