Liverpool

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Chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions on all things Premier League.

Oliver asked : A lot of Liverpool's woes have been placed on the defensive side, but do you think Liverpool losing Luis Diaz and having no direct replacement for the left wing is being understated?

Phil answered: Liverpool are struggling as new signings try to settle in and head coach Arne Slot attempts to find a balance in his team, but you are right. They are missing the urgency, direct approach and the goals of Diaz.

He had a superb season when they won the title, but in Liverpool's defence, it was Diaz who seemed determined to leave for Bayern Munich rather than being pushed out the door.

Read more of Phil's Q&A here

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Liverpool suddenly look far less confident. The tiny moments of uncertainty can mean the difference between winning or losing by the odd goal.

Eight of their nine league games this season have been won by a single goal either way, the margin between easy success and abject failure is that slim.

The Premier League has produced a few teams that looked imperious over the years, but it only takes a couple of stumbles. It is not the vultures but the hyenas that are ready to pounce. Any sign of weakness is devoured mercilessly and that fear factor they relied on is history.

That is exactly what you saw at Brentford - and every other team in the league will have spotted this too.

It happened to Manchester City and it has taken Pep Guardiola a long time to get some of that X-factor back - though it still isn't there yet as Aston Villa proved once again.

Liverpool must get out of this slump or that advantage they had, particularly at Anfield, will be gone. This is why - for the first time - Arne Slot actually sounds a little worried now.

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Liverpool are among the clubs considering a move for Club Brugge's Joel Ordonez, with Newcastle and Aston Villa also in the race to sign the 21-year-old Ecuador centre-back. (Ekrem Konur), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

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It is getting very worrying.

Liverpool had lost four of their previous five games before the Brentford defeat, but in most of them, were unlucky.

The referee was horrible against Galatasaray and the Reds conceded last-minute goals to Chelsea and Crystal Palace. We would have beaten Manchester United if we had just taken our chances, too.

But the loss to Brentford was not unlucky. It was an abysmal performance and even the penalty decisions that are certainly debatable should not shadow the fact Liverpool deserved absolutely nothing.

Arne Slot is making bad decision after bad decision. His attempts to get Florian Wirtz into the side have ruined the stable midfield three he had last season. He is asking Milos Kerkez and Conor Bradley to do jobs in defence they are not capable of.

There is no build-up at the back as Kerkez, Bradley, Ibou Konate and stand-in keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili can't pass. Curtis Jones has been easily Liverpool's best player in the past two games - someone who simply gets on the ball and moves it on.

He is now injured. Slot should consider getting Joe Gomez into the defence, maybe at right-back. At least he can pass a ball into the midfield. Wirtz should play on the left, too, allowing the team a stable midfield with bodies in it.

Perhaps Slot's biggest crime though is what he has done to Mohamed Salah. The tactics keep Salah out of the opposition box. He does not shoot anymore. Given he does not press or run in behind, does that not seem really silly?

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has stated that the Reds' season is at a "crisis" stage after four straight Premier League defeats, while ex-England captain Wayne Rooney feels the side are lacking leadership.

What is their poor run down to?

On Saturday, Brentford ran more than 7km further than Liverpool as a team - clocking 121.41km to the Reds' 114.08km.

And while some may be questioning the application of the players, in general, the stats appear to show that the club's players have actually not downed tools.

When comparing this season so far to last season's title-winning campaign on a per-game basis, the team are involved in more duels (98 to 91) and have a better success rate in them (51.8% to 49.2%).

Also on a per-game basis, this season's side edge ahead in the amount of sprints (158-156), while also covering that bit more distance each match with 109.2km compared to 107.7km.

In terms of their passing accuracy, they are a little down at 84.9% compared to 86.3%, but, ultimately, it is all very comparable.

As is the way with football, there is no simple, single reason to explain Liverpool's drop-off from imperious champions to a side struggling to keep the ball out of their net or pick up points in the league.

There is an old adage that says "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and it feels the Reds' current situation could be representative of this.

While evolution in football is necessary, making too many changes in one go - in this case, nearly £450m of new talent and the exits of some big names - is always going to require a bedding-in period and the riding of some choppy waves.

After sticking with the tried and tested during his first season at Anfield, Arne Slot is now trying to stamp his own mark on this side. But while the Premier League crown will have bought him a good grace period, if things do not turn around soon, the Dutch manager could find it harder to keep the questions around his decisions at bay.

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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside about the team's poor Premier League form: "The matter of fact is that we lost four Premier League games in a row and that we want to turn that around as soon as possible.

"It's a collective thing. We go through phases in a season where we all have to improve and step up. It feels like we are repeating ourselves, but I have to stand here and speak to you guys [the media] at times as well. So it is down to us to keep going, and we want to turn this around. That's a fact.

"I'm confident that we will, but we need to work for it with everything that we have together, with everyone involved.

"It's disappointing that we can't keep a clean sheet at the moment, but that's something I'm also part of, like the rest of the team, it's not only one player or the back line, it's everyone that's responsible for that."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

With their defeat by Brentford on Saturday, Liverpool became the fourth defending Premier League champions to lose four matches in a row.

The bad news is that none of the previous three sides recovered to retain their title.

Liverpool's previous four league defeats came across a stretch of 47 matches, while they lost just four top-flight fixtures across the whole of last season.

The only team in Europe's top five leagues that is on a worse losing run than the Reds is Germany's St Pauli, who have lost five on the spin in the Bundesliga.

Image source, Opta

It may only be October, but is it already a one-horse Premier League title race?

Arsenal's impressive start to the season - along with their regular Premier League title rivals stumbling - has left Mikel Arteta's side with a 67.34% chance of winning the trophy this season, according to the latest predictions from Opta's Supercomputer.

The Gunners, who have scored the second-most goals and conceded the fewest, have looked in imperious form as they bid to win a first Premier League title since 2004.

Manchester City are their nearest predicted challenger at 12.43%, despite sitting fifth in the table and six points off Arsenal at the top.

Following their 3-2 defeat by Brentford on Saturday - their fourth successive loss in the league - reigning champions Liverpool, who currently sit seventh, have been given the third-best chance of keeping hold of their crown at 11.04%.

They may be second in the table, but the Gunners' nearest challengers Bournemouth have still only been given a 1.47% chance of lifting the Premier League trophy.

A top-four finish and guaranteed Champions League football, however, is rated as a 22.67% chance for the Cherries.

They may be their closest rivals geographically and be third in the league, but Opta does not have Tottenham running Arteta's side all that close for the top-flight crown, with just an eighth-best 1.43% chance.

And what of surprise candidates Sunderland?

They are fourth in the table following their 93rd-minute winner against Chelsea on Saturday, but thoughts of a dream run to the title for fans should be tempered according to the supercomputer.

The promoted side have been given a 0% chance of lifting the trophy and also just a 0.91% chance of staying in the top four. However, the Black Cats' chance of relegation now stand at less than 10% (9.52%).

Image source, Opta

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Liverpool.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Steve: A thoroughly professional performance against the reigning champions and the tactics were spot on. Liverpool are becoming easy to read these days, and teams are adapting their style of play to expose their weak spots. A well-deserved three points, as the score flattered Liverpool.

Cliff: Just a brilliant performance from one to 11, plus the subs. We exploited Liverpool's weaknesses brilliantly. Special mention to Kayode, who I believe will become the best right back in the world.

Mel: Wow, what a match, it had everything you want to see in a match. A game full of energy, passion and quality from an ever-maturing Bees squad depleted by the loss of key personnel in the summer. Andrews has learned well from Thomas Frank and his game plan successfully defeated a formidable Liverpool squad.

Chuck: Magnificent performance from Brentford. There was plenty of quality football on show from the Bees, as well as the mayhem we caused with our set pieces. Liverpool were second best all evening, even with the help of two referees.

Liverpool fans

Mark: Liverpool played exactly as they are, a team short on confidence, plus you have to give credit to Brentford. Alisson and Gravenberch are injured, while Konate, Mac Allister, Gakpo and Salah are out of form,]. Van Dijk and Robertson are doing OK, so it is only really Szoboszlai that is showing anywhere near the form from last season.

Nick: Liverpool should go back to the system that won them the Premier League last season. 4-3-3 and stay much lower in a defensive block, so the long ball doesn't catch them out. The system they now play will see them completely fall down the league table. Slot should take a look at himself to right the wrongs.

John: Van Dijk has been poor so far. He's out of position too many times and that's where the goals are being scored from. We are missing Gravenberch in midfield, but the defending is poor. I think the two new full-backs were panic buys and have weakened the team rather than made it better. Isak's been a waste of money and they should have spent it on Guehi.

Former England captain Wayne Rooney says Liverpool's top players are falling short - both in performance and body language - amid the club's poor run of form.

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

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Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says Liverpool are not operating as a team this season and that is why they are struggling to find form.

Saturday's defeat to Brentford, which has left them seventh in the league, highlighted the Reds' defensive weaknesses and lack of togetherness.

"They are a great team on paper but not a team in terms of the product on the football pitch," said Reo-Coker on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "There are too many individual moments.

"When they made these signings it was clear that Liverpool wanted to be spoken about in the same breath as Real Madrid, who create an empire and dominate.

"They went very Hollywood which goes against the culture of the club and the lights have become too bright for some of the players.

"Milos Kerkez is not the same as what we saw at Bournemouth. Trent Alexander-Arnold got criticised for his defensive abilities so I think Kerkez deserves the same because he is not defending.

"I don't see a team. Virgil van Dijk is not the same leader and that is probably because he has no confidence in the back four. He looks very annoyed with Kerkez.

"The only two players who cannot get any criticism are Dominik Szoboszlai because he has been fantastic and goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

"Slot hasn't helped with putting comments out there about what Liverpool are vulnerable with and some of the decisions he is making with players.

"They need some team bonding. They need to get to know one another on a better level because they don't look like a team."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Liverpool had concerns everywhere against Brentford, from established performers of the past to expensive new acquisitions who were simply not up to scratch.

Virgil van Dijk cannot escape the scrutiny, his partnership on the left side of Liverpool's defence with the struggling £40m Milos Kerkez an uneasy alliance, and the captain exchanging quizzical glances with the Hungarian in the first half.

It was Van Dijk who brought down Dango Outarra on the line of the penalty area to concede the spot-kick from which Igor Thiago effectively sealed the success for Brentford.

The Dutchman has been a central figure of a defence that has creaked all season.

Since the start of May, Liverpool have conceded 2+ goals in more Premier League games than any other side with nine, while they have conceded 14 goals in their nine league games this season. In the previous campaign they did not concede their 14th goal until their 16th game.

Liverpool's midfield was non-existent, while hope that £116m Florian Wirtz had sparked into life with an improved performance in the 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt was extinguished here.

Liverpool have a team with quality, but no shape. The near-£450m spend in the summer has not yet offered anything in the way of improvement or progress.

Arne Slot will have to find the answers and quickly.

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool were desperately trying to snatch an undeserved point as the game against Brentford went past the 100-minute mark - but there was to be no late smash and grab for the champions, and they did not deserve one either.

There was talk they were back on track after thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in Germany on Wednesday, but this was a grim reality check from a Brentford side that ran them ragged from the first whistle.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk was just as unsettled as everyone else by the speed and invention of the home side's play, while Slot's decision to recall the struggling Milos Kerkez for Andrew Robertson may have brought a goal, but yet another disappointing defensive performance from the summer signing.

Mohamed Salah's late goal - his seventh in eight games against the Bees - disguised another poor display, while £116m Florian Wirtz was so ineffective he was replaced by defender Joe Gomez with seven minutes left and Liverpool 3-1 down.

There was nothing good to recommend about this display as the Reds returned to losing ways on the domestic front.

• Listen to Arne Slot's post-match interview with BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds

Pundits Michael Carrick and Ashley Williams join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland

• Newcastle 2-1 Fulham

• Man Utd 4-2 Brighton

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the defeat to Brentford: "Disappointing result and a disappointing performance as well.

"Conceding three goals is far too much if you want to win a game of football. First one was a set-piece. Second is a counter-attack which is one of the things [Brentford] are really good at. We didn't defend that at all."

On Brentford's penalty: "Difficult. Had the referee not given the free-kick, I am not sure if he would have given the penalty for that. But he gives the free-kick and if VAR says its inside, then you have to accept it's inside.

"I don't think he was planning to give a penalty for it but because it was inside, it was overturned to a penalty."

On Mohamed Salah scoring: "Always positive he is scoring a goal. It was a great finish from Mo."

On four defeats in a row: "What I have to do is look at what we do wrong and what we do right. I have a clear idea of where we have to improve, but that hasn't been the case in other games. We didn't do the basics right."

Reds captain Virgil van Dijk speaking to TNT Sports: "Disappointed about losing here. We know what their strengths were and what they were going to try to do. We needed to be spot on with the quality they had.

"It was a disappointing night overall for us. Tough to take but it's the reality and we need to keep going."

"We have the next game on Wednesday against an opponent [Crystal Palace] who already made our life difficult this season. We have to turn our mindset pretty quickly to be ready for that.

"They will come to Anfield to hurt us even more, but this is a tough one to take. We can't deny that. It's not an easy moment. We were trying to build on that performance iagainst Frankfurt and this was not a nice evening to have."

Did you know?

• Liverpool have now lost four Premier League games this season which is as many as they did in the entirety of last season. They've lost four consecutive league games for the first time since February 2021, while their previous four defeats came across a run of 47 matches.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Brentford's performance

What did you make of Liverpool's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Brentford make no changes from Monday and the team that beat West Ham.

Brentford XI: Kelleher; Ajer, Van den Berg, Collins, Kayode; Henderson, Yarmoliuk, Damsgaard; Schade, Thiago, Ouattara.

Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt

Liverpool make three changes to the side that saw off Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday as Mohamed Salah returns to the starting line-up.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexander Isak haven't made the bench as youngster Kieran Morrison gets a seat.

Liverpool XI: Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Jones, Wirtz; Gakpo, Ekitike, Salah

Subs: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Mac Allister, Chiesa, Robertson, Ngumoha, Nyoni, Morrison

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Chelsea v Sunderland (15:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Newcastle v Fulham (15:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Man Utd v Brighton (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Brentford v Liverpool (20:00)

Kick-offs 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Sunderland" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Fulham", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Liverpool will probably be without Alexander Isak after he was injured against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday.

It feels like what has happened to him is a case of you reap what you sow. Isak has been short of full fitness and especially sharpness all season anyway, and he did not help himself there by missing training with Newcastle in order to try to force his move to Anfield through.

He got what he wanted, but now he is trying to play catch-up instead of hitting the ground running because of the time he had off, and that is when you can pick up injuries.

Isak is too good a player not to eventually start scoring goals but this whole situation has affected Liverpool as a team too, because his lack of fitness is one of the reasons they have not clicked in the final third yet.

They scored a few goals against Frankfurt on Wednesday but this is going to be much harder for them.

Brentford were more dominant on the ball when they beat West Ham on Monday but you know how Bees boss Keith Andrews will set up his team for this game - they will sit and then counter, and they are good at it.

Liverpool's attack will click at some point, but I don't think it will happen here, and their vulnerability to direct balls in behind their defence means I don't see them keeping a clean sheet either.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here