Anfield was left stunned on Wednesday night as Liverpool suffered a bruising 4–1 home defeat to PSV Eindhoven, deepening what has now become the club’s worst run of form in 72 years.
The humiliation on Merseyside marked a grim milestone: Liverpool have now lost their last three games by a margin of three goals and have been beaten in nine of their previous 12 matches. For a club that was parading silverware barely months ago, the scale and speed of the collapse has shaken supporters and pundits alike.
On a night when the famous stadium emptied early, with seats visibly vacant long before the final whistle, it was not just the result that alarmed observers. It was the manner of the performance – disjointed, chaotic and fragile in transition – that raised serious questions about where this Liverpool side is heading under Arne Slot.
Gerrard Demands ‘Soul Searching’ Amid Historic Slump
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, on punditry duty for TNT Sports at Anfield, did not hide his concern at the club’s spiralling form but stopped just short of labelling the situation a “crisis.”
“Crisis is a very strong word and disrespectful to some of the players that have delivered for this football club, and for the manager that’s delivered three months ago,” the 45-year-old said, referencing recent success and the relative early days of Slot’s tenure. “If this was six months down the line, a year down the line and we’re further away from that success, maybe you can use that word.”
However, Gerrard made it clear that the current trajectory is unsustainable. “You can’t deny the team is struggling massively, they’re on a terrible run, confidence is at an all-time low and they just keep bleeding,” he warned. “Unless the managers can find answers and stability in the team, it’s going to continue.”
Pointing to the historical context, Gerrard underlined how unprecedented the slump is in modern Liverpool history. The Reds have not endured a spell this bleak since 1953, underscoring the scale of the problem facing Slot and his staff. “Liverpool’s problems become deeper, the pressure intensifies even more,” he added. “There needs to be a lot of soul searching tonight for sure.”
Criminal’ Positioning: Kerkez in the Firing Line
While there were poor performances across the pitch, Gerrard singled out left-back Milos Kerkez for particularly fierce criticism. The Hungarian defender, a £40million summer signing, was repeatedly caught out of position, leaving Liverpool badly exposed down his flank.
“There were poor displays all over the pitch on Wednesday night but one player stood out in particular,” Gerrard said. “Kerkez to me is out of position for the majority of the game.”
Breaking down one key moment, the former Liverpool captain was scathing. “It doesn’t matter if it’s Mo Salah or anyone, you can’t get beat in a dribble in this situation,” he insisted. “It’s criminal to be on that side of the attacker. You have to be on the inside. He gives himself no chance.”
Gerrard’s choice of the word “criminal” will sting, reflecting a sense that such basic defensive errors have no place at this level. For a player signed at significant cost to strengthen the backline, Kerkez’s struggles have become a symbol of Liverpool’s wider defensive chaos: too easily beaten, too often out of shape, and repeatedly punished by ruthless opposition.
The scrutiny on Kerkez is unlikely to ease in the coming weeks. In a side already leaking goals and looking “wide open in transition,” as Gerrard put it, the margin for error is shrinking rapidly.
Salah Still Untouchable as Slot Clings to His Stars
Despite the turmoil, one name remains non-negotiable on the Liverpool team sheet: Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian forward, once the devastating spearhead of Liverpool’s title-winning campaign, has looked a shadow of his former self in recent weeks. But Gerrard insisted that Slot is right to persist with his talisman.
“Whoever is managing Liverpool right now would pick Mo Salah,” he said. “Liverpool need all the good players on the pitch to try and find some stability.”
Gerrard acknowledged that Salah, like many of his teammates, is struggling in a system that looks disjointed and vulnerable. “They’re conceding too many goals, they’re wide open in transition,” he observed. “They look very vulnerable and unstable as soon as the ball turns over.”
The visual evidence at Anfield told its own story. As PSV’s goals rained in and Liverpool’s attacks broke down, the belief appeared to drain from the players and the stands alike. “Anfield tells a story,” Gerrard noted. “The seats were empty with 10 minutes to go, as soon as the third goal went in the game was over.”
For Salah and other senior figures, the challenge now is not only to rediscover their individual form but also to restore collective belief. In a dressing room used to chasing trophies, adjusting to the harsh reality of recurring heavy defeats will be a test of character as much as quality.
Slot Under Mounting Pressure as Questions Multiply
Head coach Arne Slot cut a deflated figure after the final whistle, acknowledging the pain of the defeat but insisting his side were not as far away from a result as the scoreline suggested.
“The emotions are very negative and disappointing,” he admitted. “The way we conceded the 1-0, I want to be positive about the reaction of the players when we went 1-0 down. We came back into the game and had chances to go 2-1 up. I don’t think anyone thought we would lose 4-1.”
Slot pointed to key moments after the break as the turning points. “After half-time, we conceded 2-1 quite early. We still had some good chances to go 2-2. Ten or fifteen minutes before the end, we conceded another goal. Hard to take.”
Despite his attempts to highlight fleeting positives, the broader picture is stark. Under his watch, Liverpool have become “wide open in transition,” in Gerrard’s words, and increasingly fragile mentally. Each setback appears to hit harder than the last, and the pattern of collapses is starting to define the season.
The Dutchman now finds himself under “incredible pressure,” as even sympathetic observers concede. A club of Liverpool’s stature cannot accept a run of nine defeats in 12, nor back-to-back thrashings at Anfield, without serious internal scrutiny.
Gerrard’s comments, urging “answers and stability,” echo the demands of a fanbase that expects swift solutions, not excuses. With the club enduring a slump not seen in over seven decades, Slot’s margin for error is shrinking rapidly. The next fixtures may not just shape Liverpool’s season – they could also determine whether he is given the time to lead the soul-searching Gerrard insists is now essential.
