Liverpool’s Season on the Brink as West Ham Test Looms
Liverpool head into Sunday with a cloud hanging over the club, and it feels heavier than anything Anfield has experienced for years. The defending champions sit 12th, 11 points behind Arsenal, and the 4-1 defeat to PSV at Anfield marked a ninth loss in 12 games. That result alone would unsettle any club with ambition, but this collapse has placed Arne Slot under fierce scrutiny. The trip to West Ham, a side gaining rhythm under Nuno Espirito Santo, suddenly carries the weight of judgement.
David Lynch captured the current anxiety perfectly when speaking to Dave Davis for Anfield Index. His words cut straight to the heart of the issue and underline just how precarious things feel.
West Ham Threat Exposed
West Ham have always relished encounters where they can turn matches into battles of timing, strength and transition. Under Nuno their intent has sharpened. Lynch summed it up clearly: “They will do all of the things that Liverpool will not like. They will be direct, physical and counter-attack.”
Liverpool, struggling with intensity, duels and concentration, now face a team built to punish those weaknesses. Lynch added, “I’m massively worried for this one because Liverpool have simply been terrible this season and West Ham are looking better under Nuno.”
That is the most damning line of all. Liverpool, fresh from a title-winning campaign under Slot, now look a shadow of themselves. Confidence has drained from the side, and patterns that once defined their strength have dissolved.
Slot’s Future Hanging By a Thread
There is a growing expectation that Sunday could be decisive. Lynch noted, “It feels like the manager will still be there for this one and there’s no decision imminent on his future.” Yet his next line carried more weight: “I already think that it is done. It feels like a case of getting to the other side of the West Ham game and then something could happen.”
That kind of sentiment does not appear from nowhere. It reflects conversations that happen quietly around clubs during downturns. A heavy defeat in east London might force Liverpool’s hierarchy into action. Even a narrow win might not shift minds unless the performance shows genuine structure and discipline.
Lynch went further: “Perhaps he could save himself by winning this game four or five-nil, but I just don’t see it.” That level of scepticism speaks to how poorly Liverpool have been functioning.
Players, Responsibility and Tactical Chaos
The debate around team selection has become louder. Lynch’s stance was firm: “He should be picking the same team because I refuse to believe that all of these players are suddenly rubbish. He should be picking his best players but making sure that he gives them the tools to get out of this situation.”
It is impossible to ignore. Senior players who led the title charge have not become incapable overnight. Structure has collapsed. Pressing patterns look confused, second balls are consistently lost and set pieces now feel like moments of dread. Lynch’s sharp assessment captured it bluntly: “It would be like re-arranging the deckchairs on the titanic! They can’t press, they can’t win second balls and concede from almost every set-piece. The only thing that will save the performances is the players being given a better plan from Slot.”
West Ham away will show whether Liverpool have anything left to cling to, or whether the club is heading for another major decision during a season that has run wildly off course.
