Arne Slot’s problems at Liverpool continue to mount up as the Reds look for a way to end their losing streak.
The trouble for the Dutchman this season has been that issues are arising across almost every area of the team.
While their worries are multiple, however, perhaps the clearest complication is the downturn in form of the Liverpool midfield.
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Should Liverpool sack Arne Slot?
Arne Slot following Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - Premier League
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Last year, Liverpool knew they could count on the trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Each was magnificent as the Reds won the Premier League at a canter.
But just as Jurgen Klopp discovered with his own midfield downgrade in 2022/23, once the rot sets in the only way out is to source replacements. As painful as it may be, that’s what Slot and Liverpool must now do.
Liverpool must solve midfield issues first
Liverpool have been conceding far too many goals this season, that is abundantly clear. But while it can be easy to blame the defence for their new-found porousness, it is the midfield who have the most questions to answer.
Gravenberch is not doing the job he did last season, while Mac Allister has had something of a Fabinho-esque decline.
Fabinho replaces Jordan Henderson during Liverpool's UEFA Champions League match against Real Madrid at Anfield.
Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
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Fabinho went from being one of the world’s best holding midfielders to looking finished at the top level within the space of a few months at the end of 2022.
Three years on, while Mac Allister is not approaching the kind of resignation felt over Fabinho, there is genuine worry that he may not regain his level.
Alongside Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara made up a trio who simply could not do it any more. They needed an overhaul and they duly got one.
Things are different now, and it should be pointed out that Szoboszlai is having a storming season. But the basis of the problem remains as it was three years ago: Liverpool need to buy a new midfield.
Who is reported Liverpool target Assan Ouedraogo?
Germany's Assan Ouedraogo in action during their FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia at Red Bull Arena.
Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
“Assan is intelligent, athletic and has excellent technical training. In addition, his dynamism means he has a lot of forward momentum, meaning he can often create dangerous goal-scoring situations or even score a goal himself”
Former RB Leipzig sporting director Rouven Schroder for Bundesliga.com
One player could fix Liverpool’s midfield woes
Liverpool’s midfield rebuild was incredibly successful three summers ago. Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo have contributed enormously over the past two-and-a-half seasons.
Slot does not quite need as drastic a rebuild, with Gravenberch and Szoboszlai both still 25 or under.
However, there are genuine worries over Mac Allister, and it looks very possible that if the Reds can bring in one more guaranteed starter in the transfer market, the Argentine could be the one who makes way.
Who that signing could be is a source of debate, but the likes of Adam Wharton, Carlos Baleba, Kees Smit and Assan Ouedraogo have all been linked.
The improvements will not be quite as stark as the ones Klopp oversaw from one season to the next, but fixing this one issue could make Liverpool a completely different proposition in 2026/27.
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