Arne Slot's radical Liverpool call and Mo Salah issue as Jurgen Klopp trick can solve crisis

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Liverpool's defeat to Brentford wasn't just a blip for the reigning champions - it was the clearest sign yet of a team that's haemorrhaged its predatory edge. The Reds are stumbling through a genuine crisis, having plummeted to seventh in the Premier League after four straight defeats.

It's a slump that's exposed cracks in Arne Slot's setup and raised uncomfortable questions about whether last season's title triumph was a masterclass or a fluke. With Arsenal pulling away at the top, Liverpool's aura of invincibility is fading fast and fans are starting to whisper about something deeper.

Sunday's result takes Liverpool's goals conceded to 14 in just nine league games - almost triple the total at this stage last season. It's also the first time they've lost four league matches in a row since 2020/21 - a season plagued by a monumental title hangover and questionable recruitment. Ring any bells?

It's only the second slump of this magnitude since 2002 - rare territory for a club of Liverpool's stature. Yet this one feels different. It feels self-inflicted. Complacency has crept in, intensity has dropped and too many key players look off the pace.

In short, the Reds are mired in mediocrity right now - and dragging themselves out of it may require radical surgery. With that in mind, here are three things Slot must do to stop the rot at Anfield.

Mo Salah's late consolation goal against Brentford, brilliant as it was, simply papered over the cracks in his troubling recent form. There was a time when he terrified defenders just by drifting into space. Now, that fear has gone.

The Egyptian no longer explodes past opponents or forces mistakes with his movement. He's all too easy to contain and to predict, especially with his pace dulled and his confidence waning. Off the ball, Salah offers little. He presses less, he tracks less and when he's not in the box, he's rarely influencing games. For a Liverpool side built on energy and intensity, that's a real issue.

In truth, this isn't a sudden problem. Last season, Salah's influence wasn't nearly as decisive as the numbers suggest. Yes, he scored 29 league goals, but only eight were true difference-makers - winners, openers, or equalisers - with the bulk coming either when Liverpool already had a comfortable lead or via the penalty spot.

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That's why it might be time for Slot to make the tough call and take him out of the firing line. Dropping Salah would be bold, but it could also be healthy - a reminder that reputation alone doesn't guarantee game-time. It would also give the likes of Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and even young Rio Ngumoha the chance to stake a claim and inject fresh energy and movement into the attack.

Liverpool look static at the moment and sometimes the only way to spark change is to make radical decisions. Which brings me on to my second suggestion...

If Liverpool's back line keeps leaking goals at this rate, something has to give. A shift to a 3-4-3 could be exactly what Slot's side needs to restore some defensive balance without blunting their attacking intent. With three centre-backs, the Reds could finally plug the gaps that have been so easily exploited in recent weeks, especially on the counter.

The move would also protect Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, two summer signings who have looked far more comfortable going forward than defending. In a wing-back role, they'd have the freedom to attack with pace and width, without constantly worrying about being caught high up the pitch. It's a system that plays to their strengths rather than exposes their weaknesses.

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In midfield, the extra protection from behind would allow a pairing like Ryan Gravenberch and Curtis Jones - who deserves more minutes - to operate as energetic 'water carriers', doing the hard running, snapping into tackles and quickly moving the ball to the forwards. It would bring back some of the bite and balance Liverpool have lacked since Jurgen Klopp's days (but more on that later).

Up front, there would be plenty of intriguing combinations: Wirtz and Dominic Szoboszlai could rotate in the inside-right role, while Ekitike and Gakpo alternate on the left. This setup would also help keep Alexander Isak from becoming too isolated, with the wide forwards tucking in as the fullbacks hug the touchline.

Liverpool need structure and spark. A 3-4-3 might just give them both.

Liverpool's midfield has lost its snarl. The engine room that once hunted in packs now ambles through games at half speed. The ferocious, suffocating press that used to define this team has faded into a kind of polite possession - all slow build-up, no bite.

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Transitions that were once Liverpool's greatest weapon now leave them exposed, turning control into chaos. This isn't just a tactical issue - it's a cultural one. The Klopp-era intensity wasn't built overnight - it was drilled into players daily, a mindset as much as a method.

Slot's slower, more methodical style might look neat on paper, but it's stripping Liverpool of their greatest identity: that furious, collective energy that overwhelmed opponents before they even settled.

The fix isn't complicated, but it will take graft. The manager needs to bring back those old pressing drills, reintroduce the relentlessness that made Liverpool unplayable. The Reds have to start snapping at heels again - hunting the ball in packs, forcing errors, setting traps. That's how they used to smother teams.

With no genuine superstar in midfield, the answer isn't to pretend there is one - it's to rediscover the collective. Turn that unit back into tireless water carriers in the Henderson and Wijnaldum mould: players who win it, move it, and go again. A proper No. 6 is still on the shopping list, but one thing at a time.

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