Arne Slot speaks
Arne Slot is under mounting pressure (Image: Matt McNulty, Getty Images)
Former Premier League manager Tony Pulis has theorised about several issues that could be behind Liverpool's slump in form. Arne Slot's team hit rock bottom on Wednesday night as they were demolished 4-1 by PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
The Reds have now suffered defeat in nine of their previous 12 games, heaping enormous pressure on their Dutch manager. Liverpool invested as much as £450million in strengthening their first team during the summer. Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Giovanni Leoni all arrived at the club.
Pulis, who managed Stoke City for seven seasons, suspects the Reds might be experiencing a shift in dressing room dynamics, mere months after claiming the Premier League crown. He shared his thoughts on the Reds' struggles during The Managers podcast alongside ex-top flight gaffer Mick McCarthy.
Related articles
"I've watched them and there's something missing there," Pulis told McCarthy. "As being a manager, you know as well as I do, things can flip so quickly and people will look at lots of reasons, have they brought the right people in?".
"Are the players, who are there, happy with the players they've brought in? Is there some animosity between the players coming in with the players who actually won the league last year, so early and so convincingly.
"Mick, I've worked in it, you've worked in it. Of course people want to know what other players are earning and what they're getting and everything else and that can destabilise the dressing room. Especially with players who have been at that club for a long time and been very, very successful at that club."
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool looks dejected
Liverpool were hammered by PSV on Wednesday (Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Pulis also spoke about how dressing room dynamics can be affected by how much new players in a dressing room earn. "Players coming in, if they get the money and they earn it and they deserve it because they're making a difference I think the waves are not so strong", Pulis added.
"But if they come in and they don't look as though they're helping people out and they don't look as though they're making a difference, those waves are going to start rolling over people, and I think that's happened Mick."
Pulis' assertions could hold some validity, though there have been no verified reports of any unrest within the Liverpool changing room. Liverpool's top wage earners are understood to be Virgil van Dijk, with the Dutch defender reportedly pocketing £400,000-a-week.
Tony Pulis gestures
Tony Pulis has addressed Liverpool's recent troubles (Image: Sky Sports Football/Youtube)
Mohamed Salah follows closely behind on £380,000-a-week after the duo penned fresh deals towards the conclusion of last season. Wirtz is understood to be earning £200,000 per week.
According to reports, Isak penned a six-year contract worth £300,000 weekly, making both Isak and Wirtz the third and fourth top earners at Liverpool respectively. New signing Ekitike is also thought to be collecting £200,000 per week.
This places the young talent ahead of title-winning heroes like Andy Robertson and Alexis Mac Allister, who are understood to be earning approximately £160,000 and £150,000 respectively, according to Spotrac.
Pulis also suggested that Liverpool's dramatic decline might simply stem from insufficient commitment. He said: "Everybody is into stats today and talks about this, that and the other.
Arne Slot puts his head in his hands
Arne Slot is on thin ice at Liverpool (Image: Getty)
"Take away the football side of it, it would be really, really interesting to see what distance this Liverpool team are doing week in, week out, yardage and sprints, take the ball away to see what this lot have done compared to last year's team, the team that won the league, that would be my starting point."
The former West Brom boss concluded by claiming Liverpool's "balance" poses a problem, adding: "The second thing I would say is that the balance doesn't look right, from last year where they were so 'up and at them', everybody seemed in unison together as a team.
"They played forward together, they got back behind the ball, they were an excellent side last year. They won a lot of games late on, that show's the spirit and determination. I'm convinced the balance isn't right."
Next up for Liverpool is a Premier League clash against West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday with Slot under serious pressure to deliver three points.