Things remain tense at Anfield. The stands fell silent when Gibbs-White scored Nottingham Forest’s third goal with twelve minutes to play, and they began to empty out before the final whistle. Liverpool’s poor form is undoing what had been an excellent start to the season, and Slot’s side now sits in mid-table after the twelfth round of the Premier League.
Not even Alisson’s return has lifted a team that narrowly beat Real Madrid only a few weeks ago but has since conceded six goals in its last two matches, against City and Forest.
The Liverpool of last season feels a long way away. Back then, they were intense and efficient. They had some early doubts this season but still managed to put together seven wins from their first seven matches in all competitions. They were winning everything while waiting for Isak to rediscover his sharpness after missing the preseason, and for Wirtz to adjust to the team following his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The pair are the two most expensive signings in the history of English football, part of a spending spree that saw Liverpool invest up to $500 million. Yet both have struggled to make their presence felt.
Isak has been collecting minutes in small doses, relying on the patience of his manager and the supporters. He forced a move by rebelling against Newcastle in the summer, refusing to join the preseason tour to push through his transfer to Anfield, and has been working hard to catch up ever since. But he has not fully settled. In nearly 500 minutes this season, he has scored just once, against Championship side Southampton in the League Cup.
Wirtz has played more than twice as much as his Swedish teammate. He has featured in 15 matches but has only completed the full 90 minutes twice: the heavy defeat away to Galatasaray in Istanbul, and the Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
His only two assists for Liverpool also came while playing in Germany. His name, far from appearing high on the list in terms of contributions on the pitch, is usually the first mentioned by Slot when the Dutch manager looks to make changes to his side.