Only Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch have kept up their title-winning performance levels for Liverpool this season.
That's the view of former Reds midfielder Danny Murphy, who gave a frank assessment of his club's poor campaign after their Champions League qualification hopes were dealt another blow.
Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones react to Liverpool's defeat at Brighton
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Liverpool have now lost 10 league games for the first time since the 2015/16 seasonCredit: Getty
Arne Slot's side suffered another disappointing result at the weekend, as they were beaten 2-1 by Brighton at the Amex.
The defeat leaves Liverpool clinging on to fifth place in the Premier League - the likely cut-off point for Champions League qualification - as they now sit just a point above Chelsea in sixth.
It also saw them suffer a second top-flight loss in three games, as their disappointing season continues to go from bad to worse.
With the Reds lifting the Premier League title less than a year ago, the drastic change in fortunes at Anfield this term has led to head coach Slot coming under fire.
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A faction of supporters have called for the Dutchman to leave his post, but former star Murphy believes he isn't solely to blame for a disappointing campaign.
What are Liverpool's problems?
Appearing on talkSPORT's 'Kick Off', Murphy left no stone unturned as he delved into the reasons behind Liverpool's downfall, starting with their lack of intensity to their play.
The talkSPORT pundit said: “There are lots of problems Liverpool have got.
“The most obvious one, and I think is becoming more worrying as the weeks go by, is the lack of energy and tenacity, and legs and fighting.
“It just looks a little bit like [we’re] doing our best - I don't think they're deliberately not trying, whether it's a physical thing or a mental thing."
Murphy then hit out at Liverpool's summer signings, with many struggling to make an impact following a huge transfer window which saw the club shell out £446m on new recruits.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot
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Arne Slot has overseen 10 Premier League defeats this termCredit: Getty
Liverpool’s German midfielder #07 Florian Wirtz reacts during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Sunderland at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on December 3, 2025.
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Florian Wirtz took 16 games to register his first league goal involvement for LiverpoolCredit: AFP
So far, only Hugo Ekitike has really justified his £79m fee, with £116m arrival Florian Wirtz taking time to find his feet, while British record signing Alexander Isak had just three goals to his name before suffering a broken leg in December.
On the summer arrivals, Murphy said: “The new signings haven't helped.
“Ekitike has been the only one and Wirtz has started to show a bit, but not enough.”
'Everyone else has dropped off'
Naming the biggest factor in Liverpool's underperformance, Murphy claimed only two players from their title-winning squad have kept up their high standards - Szoboszlai and Gravenberch.
Szoboszlai has been a standout performer, firing in 12 goals altogether despite featuring in midfield and at right-back, leading to calls for a Premier League Player of the Year nomination.
Meanwhile Gravenberch has continued to deliver consistent, high quality displays in the centre of the park, after being named in the PFA Team of the Year last term.
Dominik Szoboszlai playing for Liverpool
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Szoboszlai has been a driving force for Liverpool this term, even playing 10 games at right-backCredit: Getty
Murphy continued: “Slot is getting a lot of stick for different reasons, but one of the main reasons - and this is his job to motivate as well, so he is partly to blame for this - but the players who did so well for him last year, I would say there are only two who've come close or exceeded what they did last year.
“That would be Szoboszlai, and probably Gravenberch has been similar most of the time with the odd bad game here and there, but generally, he's been pretty solid, pretty good.
“Everyone else has dropped off.”
When asked who is to blame for the drop off in performance levels, Murphy insisted both the players and Slot must take responsibility.
He added: “Now players have to take some responsibility - it’s down to you. But also, if the coach sees that and isn't able to change it, that's on him.
Ryan Gravenberch for Liverpool
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Ryan Gravenberch has delivered five goals and six assists from the base of midfieldCredit: Getty
Mohamed Salah for Liverpool.
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Mohamed Salah has fallen well short of last season's 29-goal haul in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
“So, there are loads of things wrong, and we talked about earlier, the formation, the tactics, he set the team up completely differently than they did last week."
Bleak verdict
With the pressure continuing to mount on Slot, Murphy didn't have much optimism when discussing his future at Anfield.
The former midfielder said: "The fan base, for the first time in a long, long time, has turned.
“As a Liverpool supporter growing up and a player there, I can't think of a time where a manager has lost the fan base and turned it round. I just don't remember it happening.
“Because the Liverpool fans are good at it, they don't tend to turn. But when they do, I've never seen anyone get it back.
“So, it feels a little like it's inevitable what's coming.”
'Doesn't look like getting better'
As well as offering a bleak prediction for Slot's future, Murphy struggled to see a positive outcome for his team this season.
Danny Murphy on talkSPORT
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Murphy struggled to have a positive outlook on both Liverpool's players and SlotCredit: Talksport
He rounded off: “When you see the performances, which we do now because we watch all the games, the drop-off is huge, and it doesn't look like getting better.
“The way Liverpool play in the second half of games is really worrying.
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"It's not like they just start games pretty well, generally. But the second half drop-offs have been so regular.
“For a team that's got an abundance of talent, and quality players, experienced players, they don't look like they've got any chance of finishing in the top five - the way they play."