Liverpool’s string of dire performances in the Premier League continued against Bournemouth this weekend.
After conceding in the 94th minute, the Reds are five games without a win, and their unbeaten run is over.
Even while not losing for 13 matches in all competitions, fans were still sick of Arne Slot, and it’s hard to blame them.
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Liverpool have been called ‘boring’ this season, and their performances, especially in the league, have been tough watches.
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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Slot has had a number of excuses for the huge decline compared to 2024/25, including early in the campaign when the summer signings needed time to settle.
A valid excuse at the time, of course, but Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Hugo Ekitike have been some of Liverpool’s best players in the last couple of months.
With the manager no longer able to pin the blame on the new arrivals needing time to adapt, Slot has been parroting something else on repeat of late.
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Arne Slot’s ‘low block’ theory is nonsense
Amid Liverpool struggling to pick up wins and play well, Slot has suggested that teams playing a low block against them is the main cause of their woes.
A bizarre excuse to begin with, given most sides have always played a low block against them, especially last term when they were dominating the Premier League.
Steven Gerrard called out the 47-year-old for this recently, as per Sky Sports.
He said: “He needs to stop mentioning low blocks*.* Low blocks have been happening against Liverpool since I was playing. That’s just the way it is.”
Slot responded to Gerrard’s comments, and he himself even suggested they might not face a low block against Bournemouth.
The manager stated: “A lot is being said about it and maybe I should try to find other words or just simply not talk about it anymore. People know now. And maybe we don’t face it anymore because Bournemouth has always been a very intense team to play against and they will be like that [on Saturday].”
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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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And guess what? Andoni Iraola did not play a low block; instead, he set up his team to press Liverpool and really go after the win.
It was exactly the type of game Slot gets so excited about in his press conference when he’s constantly talking about the Champions League meetings with PSG from last season.
So, what happened? The manager should have excelled against such a side, especially one that had won one in 13 before Saturday.
Yet Liverpool were once again disjointed, and despite having much of the possession late on, barely had a shot on target apart from the free-kick.
Low blocks have never been a valid excuse, regardless. But at least now Slot’s played against a team who wanted to put pressure on Liverpool, and they still lost, maybe he’ll have a new excuse next week.
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