Liverpool’s unbeaten streak has come to an end after they lost to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
It wasn’t an overly impressive run anyway, with plenty of underwhelming draws against the likes of Burnley, Leeds United and Fulham.
To make matters worse, while there have been some positives to take in Europe, Liverpool are seriously struggling in the Premier League and are yet to win a match in the current calendar year.
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Who was Liverpool’s worst player as they fell to a pathetic loss against Bournemouth?
Mohamed Salah chases the ball during Liverpool's Premier League match against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
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Will anything change this time next week when the Reds are taking on Newcastle United? It seems unlikely, but Alan Shearer’s words on a number of topics post-match should be heeded after the 3-2 loss.
Andoni Iraola should be on Liverpool’s radar
It remains to be seen if Arne Slot will still be manager come the start of 2026/27, with some suggestions FSG could make a change in the summer already emerging.
On that front, Cherries boss Andoni Iraola, who has worked with Richard Hughes before, will be out of contract following 2025/26.
Bournemouth may be struggling at times, given their limited budget and loss of star man Antoine Semenyo, but as Shearer’s comments explained, Iraola is doing a great job at Bournemouth.
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He said: “Having gone 2-0 up and getting pegged back to 2-2, Bournemouth showed great character in coming back to somehow find a way to win the game and get three desperately needed points.
“I don’t think anyone could say they didn’t deserve it, given how hard they worked. They have been through a bit of a difficult period, with the team slipping down the table and Antoine Semenyo leaving, but Andoni Iraola is doing a really good job and showing why he’ll be a manager in demand when his contract is up in the summer.”
Will Xabi Alonso be Liverpool manager by the start of the 2026/27 season?
If no, where will he be instead?
Xabi Alonso pictured during Real Madrid's La Liga match against Real Betis at the Bernabeu (Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Alberto Gardin/NurPhoto
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Arne Slot’s Liverpool are weak
Shearer then went on to explain the decline of Liverpool this season and how they’ve gone from league winners to hoping they can get a Champions League place.
He continued: “Liverpool just don’t look right in all areas. They’re making too many errors and are weak defensively, as we saw with the winning goal. While they scored two goals from set-pieces, they didn’t create anywhere near enough from open play.
“Their aim has to be salvaging the season by qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four or perhaps top-five finish – but that’s a big drop-off from what we saw last season.”
Shearer is correct again. It’s easy to pin the blame on one or two players who make notable mistakes in a game; it was Virgil van Dijk’s turn this week.
But Liverpool as a squad have looked so much worse than they did in 2024/25, and even now that their summer signings (barring Alexander Isak) are up to speed, nothing has changed, at least in the Premier League.
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