Liverpool’s Rough Patch: Four Losses and a 72-Year Warning

Local TV Sport

Liverpool’s alarming slump has sparked unease across Anfield, with Roy Keane questioning Virgil van Dijk’s leadership after a fourth straight defeat in all competitions — a 2-1 loss to Manchester United that deepened their malaise. Van Dijk urged calm, but Keane felt the captain “needs to take a look at himself,” accusing Liverpool of looking “edgy and unbalanced.”  Not since 1953 have Liverpool lost five in a row, and supporters are drawing uncomfortable comparisons to the dark spells that ended previous managerial reigns — from Brendan Rodgers’ slide in 2015 to the late-season stumbles under Jürgen Klopp.

Transcript

00:00Now Liverpool's alarming slump has sparked an ease across Anfield with Roy Keane questioning

00:07Virgil van Dijk's leadership after a fourth straight defeat in all competitions. The 2-1

00:13loss to rivals Manchester United that deepened their malice. Van Dijk urged calm but Keane felt

00:19the captain needs to take a look at himself, accusing Liverpool of looking edgy and unbalanced.

00:25Not since 1953 have Liverpool lost five in a row and supporters are drawing uncomfortable

00:30comparisons to the dark spells that ended previous managerial reigns from Brendan Rodgers'

00:36side in 2015 to the late season stumbles under Jurgen Klopp. On his slot start following a

00:42record £450m summer outlay was meant to usher in an evolution, not instability. Instead fans

00:49are beginning to question whether the Dutchman's expansive approach has stripped the side of

00:55the control and steel that wants to find them. Against United, Liverpool were again the architects

01:00of their own downfall. Cody Gakpo struck the post three times before finally scoring, then

01:06missed a simple header after Harry Maguire's winner. Mohamed Salah's seven-game league run

01:12without a non-penalty goal has fuelled talk of fatigue and a loss of sharpness. But the problems

01:19go beyond missed chances. Defensively, Liverpool look fragile. They have conceded twice in seven

01:26of twelve matches this season, a stark contrast to the discipline of previous campaigns. The

01:33midfield remains disjointed and opponents regularly slice through the press. Van Dijk admitted the team

01:39were too rushed and guilty of wrong decisions, echoing the anxious mood of the fan base.

01:46Schlott's substitutions attacking and often chaotic have done little to restore structure.

01:52His reputation as a bold tactician is being tested by supporters who now crave pragmatism

01:57over adventure as Liverpool head to Eintracht Frankfurt, seeking to avoid their first five-game losing streak

02:03in 72 years. The optimism of early autumn feels distant. Anfield knows history doesn't often forgive

02:10title defences that unravel this quickly.

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