Liverpool head into the international break facing uncomfortable questions after seven defeats in 10 games. For bettors who had confidence early in the season, the shift has been jarring: the optimism of early autumn has evaporated, replaced by concern that Arne Slot’s tactical blueprint is no longer producing results.
Despite calls to simply return to last season’s successful formula, the issues are far more complex. The conditions that once allowed Liverpool to control matches have changed; for example, this season, they are conceding 1.40 goals per Premier League game, up from 1.08 last season.
The squad itself has developed in ways that demand new solutions. Ultimately, those changes matter for anyone staking money on how the team performs.
From commanding tempo to losing grip
Slot’s debut campaign was defined by an impressive ability to dictate tempo. Contrary to the assumption that ‘control’ meant slow, cautious football, Liverpool were masters at shifting the rhythm of a match; they could accelerate the game rapidly through pressing or direct combination play, then slow it down when needed to manage momentum.
For fans also tracking betting markets, this level of control made Liverpool a reliable pick in live-betting scenarios, where tools like a lucky 15 calculator helped forecast returns during strong runs of form.
One pattern underpinned many of their dominant performances: a controlled circulation of possession along the back line designed to draw out the opposition before exploiting the space behind. A frequent trigger involved the ball being played into Mohamed Salah when he dropped deep, pulling a defender with him. As he laid the ball off immediately, another teammate would pour into the gap created, with this up-back-through sequence repeatedly carving open defensive lines.
The approach allowed Liverpool to adjust the tempo almost at will. Between racing ahead in high-scoring contests or killing games by maintaining pressure, they consistently dictated how matches unfolded, which was a key reason why bettors felt confident backing them.
That command has largely disappeared this season.
How Alexander-Arnold, Robertson and Gravenberch matter
Personnel changes have been a major factor; for example, the prolonged absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold has sharply reduced Liverpool’s ability to progress the ball from deep. Andy Robertson, one of the most productive left-sided passers in the league last season, spent months out of the starting lineup. Without both functioning together, Liverpool’s back line shifted into an imbalanced shape.
Reinstating Robertson has provided some stability, but the team is now overly weighted toward the left for ball progression. Opponents have recognised this and are comfortable allowing Ibrahima Konaté to handle more of the buildup, knowing he poses less threat in possession.
Even Virgil van Dijk, usually reliable in initiating attacks, has struggled to find incisive forward options. The new strikers, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, have not consistently held up the ball, a trait Liverpool once relied upon from Luis DÃaz. Salah and Cody Gakpo have also found it harder to create those secure linking moments that once enabled Liverpool to speed up play.
Another major loss is Ryan Gravenberch’s influence. Last season, he frequently received passes between the lines before gliding past pressing opponents using his trademark turns. Now, because teams sit deeper and engage later, he often drops into the first line of buildup instead of exploiting pockets higher up. With opposition players already positioned in front of him, his strength in escaping markers is neutralised, while the speed Liverpool once used to flip matches in their favour is far less accessible.
Opponents have adapted, but Liverpool haven’t
Premier League teams have adjusted their approach. Instead of pressing high and leaving themselves vulnerable to rapid tempo shifts, they defend deeper and more compactly. This negates Liverpool’s previous methods of destabilising defensive structures. High-press triggers are rarer, midfield space is more crowded and up-back-through patterns are limited.
Liverpool tried to reshape their squad to break down these low blocks more effectively. The plan was to transition from a tempo-control model to one focused on territorial dominance. The signings of Florian Wirtz and two central forwards reflected an aim to overload the final third with creativity and finishing power.
Slot implemented an attacking structure inspired partly by Paris Saint-Germain’s fluid rotations. The idea was to disorient defensive markers, generate overloads and create unmarked attackers at the far post. In practice, however, Liverpool have not produced a single goal through this intended mechanism this season, a telling detail for bettors assessing goal-scoring props and over/under markets.
Why the low-block problem persists
Despite Slot’s claim that Liverpool have generated more chances than any other Premier League side, the volume of opportunities has not come from cohesive buildup play. Instead, many chances emerge when Liverpool commit numbers forward out of desperation while chasing games.
Against low blocks, their structure often becomes disorganised. A single inaccurate pass can spark dangerous counters, because the fluidity in Liverpool’s attacking positions frequently leaves defensive roles filled by players ill-suited for them. This has created huge spaces for opponents to exploit, a trend that has cost bettors who backed Liverpool on the spread or in both-teams-to-score markets, expecting the Reds to control possession more securely.
A clear example came in the defeat to Brentford. A basic one-two bypassed Liverpool’s advanced midfield unit, counter-pressure never arrived and the high defensive line was exposed with a single pass behind, leading to a straightforward one-versus-one finish.
Final takeaway: Why ‘going back’ isn’t an option
Liverpool attempted to be forward-thinking with their off-season tactical shift, but the new model has given opponents influence over the style of the match. Once teams recognise Liverpool’s predictable focus on pinning them deep, they can shape the flow of the game in their favour. This problem worsens when Liverpool concede first (a recurring theme).
In 18 league matches, Liverpool have fallen behind eight times and lost seven. Their goals after conceding rarely lead to comebacks, with that reflected in live-betting markets where odds swing sharply against them once they trail.
Curiously, the only matches where Liverpool have looked comfortable dictating play occurred in the Champions League, where opponents like Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid were more willing to attack, creating the kind of transitional chaos Liverpool once thrived on.
