Isak 'was completely invisible'published at 13:34 GMT 24 November
13:34 GMT 24 November
Jordan Chamberlain Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
We are nearly in December and Alexander Isak has yet to score a Premier League goal for Liverpool. In fact, his only effort to date came in the EFL Cup victory over Southampton, which was largely pointless given we sacrificed the next round by playing a team of kids anyway.
For a £125m striker, this is appalling. Yes, the Swede has missed some games through injury and is struggling to get fully fit, but Liverpool are partly to blame for this. We knew Isak had an injury record, and the fact he had to miss pre-season with Newcastle in order to force a transfer played its part.
Liverpool should have paid £125m for him earlier in the summer, and if Newcastle were not budging, simply bought a winger instead, given we had already secured Hugo Ekitike to play up top.
Isak was completely invisible against Nottingham Forest. He had just 14 touches of the ball before he was hauled off in the second half. He does not drop deep to find the ball and his team-mates never pass to him.
He used to thrive off balls in behind, but because everyone plays a low block against Liverpool, his biggest strength is negated. Isak has barely had a shot this season. He just stands up top waiting for something to happen, but he is not proactive with his movement or relentless with his off-the-ball defensive stuff.
It is not all his fault - not by a long shot. But £125m is an absurd amount of money to pay for a striker who is unfit and at the moment does not fit the team's style.
Arne Slot could be out of a job with two more losses this week.
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'We will see the true ability of Slot now' - fans on 'horrible' loss to Forestpublished at 10:00 GMT 24 November
10:00 GMT 24 November
Media caption,
We asked for your views on Liverpool crashing to yet another defeat - this time 3-0 at home to Nottingham Forest.
Here are some of your comments:
Paul: Lacked passion, creativity and organisation. I cannot remember turning the game off with 15 minutes to go, but these past two games have been horrible. Something needs to change quickly to make sure we don't lose sight of a top-four finish.
Simon: It's easy to say in hindsight, but perhaps there was just too much change in what was a title-winning squad of players. Trent was always going, and Jota's tragic death was not predictable and a huge loss. For the others, did we really need such a huge turnover of ins and outs? It reminds me of when Souness tore apart Dalglish's title-winning side in the early 90s and Liverpool slumped for years after.
Phillip: The biggest problem is they seem to be a man short when Curtis Jones plays. I'm sorry to single him out. Isak was a bad buy, and other players have to hold their hands up, namely Konate.
Bobby: At the moment, Liverpool can't beat an egg. Too weak in defence, and Salah reminds me of Torres when he lost all confidence. It's going to have to be someone with big shoes to sort this mess out.
Paul C: Insipid from Liverpool. At the very least, you expect players to work hard. Forest did, we didn't. Too many missed passes and weak challenges. Can't understand why Isak was on for so long and Ekitike was benched. He offered nothing.
John: High-profile, costly player purchases while disposing of true team players is probably the biggest factor. As for recruiting someone who had downed tools elsewhere - no comment.
Jonno: Slot won with Klopp's team and took the credit, and now he has failed to maintain it. We will see the true ability of Slot now. I am not very hopeful.
Isak a 'problem Liverpool have to solve' published at 08:09 GMT 24 November
08:09 GMT 24 November
John Bennett Final Score reporter at Anfield
Image source, Getty Images
There are excuses like lack of match practice, lack of fitness and getting used to new team-mates, but it was still astonishing to see how far off the pace Alexander Isak seemed on Saturday.
I regularly covered Newcastle United games last season and, even when he was having quiet matches, it looked as if he could spring into action, in and around the box at any moment, and the stadium would be buzzing when he was on the ball, driving at goal.
Against Nottingham Forest though, he was unrecognisable from the prolific striker that played at St James' Park. You could have been forgiven for thinking he was not even on the pitch in the first half.
Even in a poor performance, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo had their moments, with dangerous runs and decent chances, but Isak struggled to make any impact.
Among the many issues that Arne Slot is facing right now, trying to get Isak up to speed must surely be near the top of the priority list.
Meanwhile, if you are Hugo Ekitike - one of the rare positives in a poor Liverpool season - you would be annoyed that Isak is starting ahead of you.
Hopefully, Isak shuts up the critics like me with plenty of goals in the next few weeks, but right now he is a problem that Liverpool have to solve.
'Not winning the title doesn't make it a bad season' - Jamespublished at 07:49 GMT 24 November
07:49 GMT 24 November
Image source, Getty Images
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James it would not be a "bad season" if Arne Slot's side fail to defend their Premier League title but still pick up some other silverware.
Following Saturday's thumping by Nottingham Forest at Anfield, their sixth league defeat in seven games, some have labelled the Reds as in 'crisis' and pressure is building on head coach Slot.
The summer signings which broke British transfer records but have started slowly are also coming under scrutiny.
"Liverpool do not recruit for one season, they recruit for the future," said James on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast."I believe with the players they signed they can be good, but I was one of those that expected them to be fine from the get-go.
"The test for Arne Slot as manager is whether he can turn this around. Not winning the title this season doesn't make it a bad season.
"Comparatively it does compared with last season but he wasn't expected to win it last season.
"He has already ticked that box if we are looking at the broader picture. The Champions League now becomes more important and winning it would justify everything this season."
Gossip: Reds willing to pay £140m for Nevespublished at 07:29 GMT 24 November
07:29 GMT 24 November
Liverpool are preparing a record £140m bid for 21-year-old Portugal and Paris St-Germain midfielder Joao Neves. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Failure to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, 25, in the summer has left doubts in the England defender's mind and he is now willing to wait until the end of the season to confirm his future. (Alan Nixon on Patreon), external
The Reds have offered Ibrahima Konate a new contract but the 26-year-old France centre-back, whose current deal expires next summer, is yet to respond amid interest from Real Madrid. (Caught Offside), external
Finally Dayot Upamecano, 27, is out of contract at the end of the season, but Bayern Munich's France defender, who is being monitored by Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Liverpool, has distanced himself from a potential big-money January move to Chelsea. (Metro), external
Finally, Italy international Federico Chiesa could explore a move away from Anfield in January, with the Serie A quartet of Inter Milan, Napoli, AS Roma and AC Milan all keeping tabs on the 28-year-old winger. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Reds 'cloak of invincibility has been replaced by a soft underbelly'published at 13:54 GMT 23 November
13:54 GMT 23 November
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Media caption,
Arne Slot is no longer trying to save Premier League champions Liverpool from a stumble.
Saturday's Anfield horror show at the hands of Nottingham Forest was a headlong fall into the abyss.
What most generously believed was a blip, based on the compelling evidence of Slot's first title-winning campaign last season, is now a full-blown crisis for Liverpool and their beleaguered head coach.
Chairman Tom Werner was at Anfield to witness a 3-0 loss to impressive Forest thanks to a performance as poor as anything seen at home in recent years.
No-one can suggest Slot's job is in immediate danger after his deeds following his succession to Jurgen Klopp, but such is this game's brutality that he is now under serious pressure to turn the tide that threatens to engulf Anfield.
Liverpool's manager, whoever it is, is always under pressure to win games. He is under even greater pressure and scrutiny when he loses six Premier League games out of seven. This is as many as in their previous 58.
They have lost two of their past three home league games, as many as in the previous 53.
The cloak of invincibility that Liverpool carried last season has been replaced by a soft - very soft - underbelly. And it has been there since the start of the season.
It takes some doing to spend £450m to make a Liverpool side that strolled to the title last season worse but, based on what has been produced so far, Slot and the club's recruitment team have achieved that feat.
Liverpool analysis: Slot flounders as slump continuespublished at 18:29 GMT 22 November
18:29 GMT 22 November
Phil McNulty Chief football writer
Image source, Getty Images
Liverpool head coach Slot decided to start with record signing Alexander Isak as he tried to fire up his struggling side and finally get the striker's Anfield career going.
Instead, Isak became symbolic of a display which must rank as one of the most limp seen at Anfield in recent years, often conducted in periods of silence as disbelieving Liverpool fans watched the champions crumble once more.
Isak barely touched the ball, never posed any threat, and was actually fortunate to stay on for 67 minutes before he was finally replaced by Federico Chiesa.
He was not, however, the only guilty party on an afternoon when only Mohamed Salah showed any threat while those around him sunk without trace.
The drop in levels from last season, when Liverpool strolled to the title, is beyond alarming for Slot, who has been out of answers to solve their many problems. To suggest they can retain that crown now is a far-distant dream.
Even his substitutions carried the whiff of desperation, striker Hugo Ekitike being introduced after 54 minutes for defender Ibrahima Konate.
Liverpool's fans grumbled but did not turn on their team. It was not only this defeat, though, but the appalling manner of it that will increase pressure on Slot to work out how to get this misfiring, but expensively assembled, team at least showing something of its real form.
Liverpool 0-3 Nottingham Forest: What Slot and Van Dijk said published at 17:53 GMT 22 November
17:53 GMT 22 November
Media caption,
'It's my responsibility' - Slot says Liverpool in 'very bad spell'
Liverpool boss Arne Slot, speaking to BBC's Match of the Day: "Another big disappointment. We started off quite well for the first half an hour. We conceded the 1-0, and we weren't able to play the way we did in the first half hour.
"I don't know. I heard it wasn't offside, so if it's not offside, there's nothing to debate. We created and were waiting for us to score a goal. The set piece changed everything, and they scored two.
"If things go well or things go bad, it's my responsibility. We weren't able to create enough. I tried to adjust a few things, but it didn't work out. We were unable to score a goal. You never know in this stadium, if you score a goal, then things can work out.
On conceding early in the second half: "Of course, it was damaging. It was already hard to be 1-0 against a team blocking everything. It's that simple. In a few days, we have to play in the Champions League again and then play three Premier League games in a short space. Keep your head up and work incredibly hard. We are trying every single day.
"It's always helpful to have experienced and quality players. It's not working out at this moment."
Captain Virgil van Dijk, speaking to Premier League Productions: "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment.
"There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we'te in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work.
"It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going.
"Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going.
"I can't decide what the supporters are doing if they leave early. I know the fans have been through thick and thin with us. They will be there with us when we come out of this because we will come out of this."
Did you know?
Liverpool have lost as many as six of their opening 12 Premier League games of a season for only the second time, after 2014-15 (also 6). Indeed, they are just the fourth side to start a season as defending champions in the competition with 6+ defeats in their first 12 games, after Blackburn Rovers in 1995-96 (6), Chelsea in 2015-16 (7), and Leicester City in 2016-17 (6).
Liverpool have lost back-to-back league games by a margin of 3+ goals for the first time since April 1965 under Bill Shankly.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Liverpool v Nottingham Forest" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Man City", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Liverpool v Nottingham Forestpublished at 11:10 GMT 22 November
11:10 GMT 22 November
This is a hard one to call. Liverpool have lost seven of their past 10 matches, but could they be one of the teams who benefit from the international break?
Forest beat them at Anfield last season - I was there for Radio 5 Live - but that was under Nuno, and they are yet to win anywhere on the road in this campaign.
I don't see that changing this weekend, either. Sean Dyche has picked up some points at the City Ground since he took over as Forest boss at the end of October, but they are meek away from home and I don't see them keeping Liverpool out.
Liverpool have to click sooner or later, and if their attack gets going here then they could overpower my boyhood club.
Mo Salah needs to come to the fore for Arne Slot's side, and so does Alexander Isak.
For someone who forced his move to Liverpool through in the summer, Isak has done very little for his new club so far.
Liverpool v Nottingham Forest: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:11 GMT 21 November
19:11 GMT 21 November
Jordan Butler BBC Sport journalist
Liverpool will be eager to get back on track when they host struggling Nottingham Forest this weekend. BBC Sport explores some of the key themes surrounding this match.
The title holders have lost five of their past six top-flight games, which is more defeats than they suffered in the entirety of last season, and only bottom side Wolves have a worse record in that time.
It is the most losses a reigning champion has endured at this stage of a Premier League campaign since Leicester City in 2016-17 and only three reigning champions have amassed fewer points from their opening 11 games than the Reds.
The last team to win an English top-flight title after collecting 18 points or fewer from their first 11 games were Everton in 1986-87, which, given they are neighbours, could be considered a good omen for Arne Slot's side.
Not all bad news for Liverpool
But it is not all doom and gloom for the Merseysiders. They are firmly on course for a top-eight finish in the Champions League and Anfield remains a stronghold.
Liverpool have won four of their five outings on home soil this term, losing the other, and that sole defeat by rivals Manchester United last month, painful as it was, is their only home loss in 22 league matches.
While the title might appear out of sight – with eight points the gap between them and Arsenal – they are just four points adrift of Manchester City in second.
Slot has said feels five defeats "is too many" and the "last thing we should think about now is the title race", but if any side can put a series of wins together, it is the current champions. It just has to start now.
Trees find it tricky away
Nottingham Forest are yet to win away this season in any competition, with a return of four draws and four defeats from their eight visits to opposition grounds.
However, despite that form, Forest can take heart from the fact they were the only team to win at Anfield in the Premier League last season. Their 1-0 victory in September 2024 was also the only top-flight match in which Liverpool failed to score.
Is Forest's attack starting to click?
The results have certainly improved during Sean Dyche's short tenure so far - he has picked up two wins, two draws and suffered just one defeat in his first five games.
Some notable attacking numbers have also increased and they have scored more goals, averaged more shots and have a higher expected goals total under Dyche than either of his predecessors, despite having fewer touches in the opposition box.
Attacking midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is one of the players benefitting from the change of manager. "We had a bit of a chat with Morgan, nothing heavy," said Dyche in his pre-match press conference. "There was no breakthrough moment or anything like that – it was just about reminding him that he is a good player."
The 25-year-old has found the net in each of Forest's previous two Premier League games and he heads to Anfield vying to score in three successive league matches for the very first time.
Financial Fair Play rules in Premier League to change next seasonpublished at 18:10 GMT 21 November
18:10 GMT 21 November
Image source, Getty Images
The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.
The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.
Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.
Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.
Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.
