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EPL Premier League Action Arne Slot is struggling to come up with answers to Liverpool's problems Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images This time there could be no excuses. In defeat to Crystal Palace and Chelsea, Liverpool could point to post-witching hour drama, conceding late, late goals. Fair enough, they were owed a couple, having scored so many themselves already this season. Against Manchester United, they — or, more specifically, head coach Arne Slot — could point to spurning golden opportunities, to hitting the woodwork three times and to comfortably edging United in every attacking metric bar the most important one. Advertisement Watching Liverpool’s players incessantly put the ball out of play under minimal pressure in their 3-2 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium, it felt like no reasons or excuses could be offered. Ditto when they made basic defensive mistakes, or when they failed to beat the first man from a corner in the 100th minute with every player waiting in the box, or when they simply didn’t show the necessary amount of desire or intent to match their opponents, especially in an alarmingly anaemic 20-minute period after half-time in which the reigning champions failed to register a single shot, while Brentford took control of the match. And yet, disappointingly, Slot did make excuses after the match. He wasn’t quite as signposted with his language, like when he criticised Newcastle United and Manchester United for their low block and long balls, or when he suggested it was annoying that teams were making changes to the XI against Liverpool (a point even Brentford’s social media administrator felt emboldened enough to pick up on after the final whistle), but it was still there. Must have been that unchanged team ? — Brentford FC (@Brentford FC) October 25, 2025 In his post-match press conference in west London, Slot was at pains to point out that he wasn’t making excuses, while at the same time listing several reasons why Liverpool’s form might be what it is. So, did any of them pass muster? “I don’t know if it’s being seen as an excuse, but of the last six games we’ve played, there have been five away, something that is not helpful if you’re on the run of form we’re on. ” Well, it’s an undeniable fact that, yes, five of Liverpool’s last six matches have been on the road, but for the team with the best away record in 2024-25, is that an excuse? They have lost four of those matches, at Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Brentford. Last season, they won at Brentford and Palace and lost at Chelsea with a much-changed team in a dead rubber, having won the title a week earlier. Advertisement Tough games, but when only one team in Europe’s top five leagues is on a worse losing streak than you (St Pauli in Germany with five defeats), it’s really not about whether you’re playing at home or away. “You’re always hoping if you win a game in the week, although it’s only two days’ rest when you come over here, of course you’re hoping for a better result. ” That was Slot’s first sentence in his press conference, which suggested the quick turnaround from Eintracht Frankfurt in the week was on his mind (just as it used to be for his predecessor Jurgen Klopp, who was a serial critic of quick television-enforced turnarounds). Yes, going from Wednesday in Germany to Saturday in London isn’t ideal, especially given the vastly different styles of the two opponents and therefore a lack of proper preparation time for Brentford. But with the depth of Liverpool’s squad, it’s not an excuse or a legitimate reason for the basic mistakes they were making. “It should never be seen as an excuse but if I say it was a soft penalty, I hope you guys aren’t going to tell me that wasn’t soft, or a bad excuse, but it was a very soft penalty to concede. ” Soft is probably a fair word to use for referee Tim Robinson’s decision to award a penalty for Virgil van Dijk making contact with Dango Ouattara’s boot — initially given as a free kick but upgraded to a penalty when the VAR decided it had taken place “on the line”, as Robinson subsequently explained to the crowd. It was a marginal call, as it seemed difficult to tell exactly where the offence had taken place, but maybe the bigger issue for Slot should have been his captain’s decision to swing his leg so rashly in the first place — the latest indiscretion in what has become a worrying run of form for the Dutchman. “Just before they scored for 2-0, there was a moment Cody (Gakpo) dribbled inside the box and they didn’t play the ball. I think if you showed both situations… to every referee in the world, he will tell you maybe both or nothing, but if I have to give one of the two, I would definitely give the one to Cody. ” Advertisement Again, this would have been soft, but when Nathan Collins planted his boot in front of Gakpo’s, there was probably enough of an infringement to award a penalty, albeit the winger’s exaggerated fall may have counted against him. “It definitely (our form) also has to do with if you change quite a lot in the summer. I think it’s not a surprise that it can go a bit like this. But I didn’t expect it to go with four losses in a row. It’s always a bit of a bumpy road if you change. ” Too much upheaval to Liverpool’s squad? Again, it feels a plausible reason to justify the team’s struggles but this was largely a strategic choice. There were plausible reasons to sell senior players Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, Jarell Quansah and Caoimhin Kelleher — given the sums that were offered, or the fact that the players themselves were pushing for moves — but none had to be sold. Diaz, in particular, has been sorely missed this season. The bigger problem is that almost all of Liverpool’s new additions have fallen well short of expectations so far, Hugo Ekitike aside. The sight of Milos Kerkez hurriedly going backwards in his own box, then walloping the ball across the penalty area and out for a throw on the far side summed up his panicked night in west London on what was another occasion that he looked out of his depth. The match also summed up Florian Wirtz’s season so far. Some gorgeous touches and obvious qualities, but he was also bullied out of possession and too often failed to connect with his team-mates in the final third. “Teams have a certain playing style against us, which is a very good strategy to play and we haven’t found an answer yet. Every time, going 1-0 down doesn’t help as well, after five minutes (today). ” Brentford’s tactics centred around physicality, direct passing and running, long throws and set pieces, while they were also far more willing than their guests to shoot from range, forcing two stunning saves from Giorgi Mamardashvili. Advertisement Michael Kayode’s cannonball long throws, which Slot said Liverpool had practised defending on Friday and spoken about again on Saturday, were a constant problem, but the visitors repeatedly, and needlessly, aided Brentford by putting the ball out of play in their own defensive third. Marmardashvili did it inside the opening two minutes, passing straight out, believing it to be the safest option (and bookended this by doing the same thing again in the 95th minute). Then, for the opening goal, Conor Bradley couldn’t keep Mamardashvili’s pass in play. While Slot may have drilled the team on how to defend the long throws themselves, they didn’t appear to come up with an alternative method of clearing their lines. Slot also praised Brentford’s all-round game, not just their throws and set pieces. And, aside from the reasons and/or excuses, he criticised his players for not “doing the basics right” in what, for most of the match, was a desperately poor performance. Liverpool didn’t learn their lesson from the Manchester United defeat in terms of winning second balls and duels in midfield. Either that, or they were simply incapable of meeting the challenge. And that’s the biggest concern for Liverpool right now. This doesn’t feel only tactical — there are almost half the players in Saturday’s XI you can pinpoint and call a weak link right now. The longer the losing run continues, the thinner the excuses become as to why that is. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Tim Spiers is a football journalist for The Athletic, based in London. He joined in 2019 having previously worked at the Express & Star in Wolverhampton. Follow Tim on Twitter @Tim Spiers