Poor Pressing Forwards Deepen Liverpool Slide

The loss to PSV cast a long shadow over Anfield, and BD Cricket Match came up naturally in fan chatter as supporters compared Liverpool’s turmoil with the unpredictable swings seen in other sports. What unfolded in the 1–4 defeat went beyond a bad night. It reflected a deeper structural imbalance that had been quietly building long before Arne Slot’s name entered any discussion about accountability.

Poor Pressing Forwards Deepen Liverpool Slide

This unraveling began the moment the club allowed Díaz and Núñez to depart and later saw Jota sidelined by injury. Those three had supplied the team with tireless pressing, sharp off-ball runs, and the kind of intensity needed to unsettle any defense. Their absence left a vacuum that newcomers Isak and Wirtz have struggled to fill. Isak drifts too often without providing the constant movement Liverpool’s style demands, while Wirtz lacks the burst required to break open compact defenses. As a result, many attacking sequences feel disjointed, almost as if the forwards are working from different scripts. The situation worsened when Ekitiqué, despite being the most forceful runner in the squad, lost his starting spot after a single red card, a decision that dented both confidence and trust.

Once Ekitiqué returned in limited minutes, his play carried a noticeable edge of impatience. Instead of linking up with teammates, he frequently opted to shoot from difficult angles. Chiesa drifted into similar habits. Although he scored decisive goals earlier in the campaign, he was initially omitted from the Champions League squad until an injury forced a roster change. That early setback appeared to shift his priorities, making every possession feel like a personal mission. Match numbers highlighted the shift in mentality: Ekitiqué recorded 30 touches but completed only 16 passes while taking four shots; Chiesa came on and produced just five passes from 15 touches with two attempts on goal. These patterns showed a side losing its collective rhythm, the classic situation where everyone tries to play the hero and the overall shape collapses.

Even Salah’s attempt to recalibrate couldn’t stabilize the attack. He simplified his choices, completing 41 passes from 61 touches and creating several opportunities, yet he carried less influence in his off-ball movement and no longer opened gaps through individual dribbles the way he once did. Without forward runners around him, his creativity hit a ceiling. Meanwhile, defensive errors mounted. Van Dijk’s unexpected handball gifted PSV the opener, Salah’s loose defensive moment allowed a second, and another misjudged aerial action from Van Dijk left Kolcoez exposed for yet another PSV breakthrough. These were not isolated incidents but signs of a team losing clarity in both structure and urgency.

Liverpool’s deeper issue points toward decision-makers who renewed the contracts of Salah and Van Dijk while allowing high-intensity forwards such as Núñez and Díaz to leave. Their replacements, though technically gifted, do not offer the same defensive commitment or off-ball aggression needed to maintain Liverpool’s trademark tempo. Slot may ultimately take the blame publicly, but the roots of the problem lie further up the chain, where transfer and squad-building calls have reshaped the team’s identity.

In closing, discussions around BD Cricket Match reflected how far the conversation has spread, with supporters searching for parallels to explain Liverpool’s sudden drop in sharpness. Whether the club can restore its competitive edge will hinge on timely corrections behind the scenes, and the next few months will reveal whether these choices mark a temporary stumble or the beginning of a longer struggle.

Comment