Image Credits: Imago Images
For Liverpool faithful, the numbers this season are hard to ignore.
After 31 Premier League games, the drop-off from last year is clear.
The team has fallen from 71 points to 49.
That is a 22-point gap.
The league position has slipped from 1st to 5th.
Wins have dropped from 22 to 14, while losses have risen from 4 to 10.
The goals tell the same story.
Liverpool scored 70 at this stage last season.
This time, it is just 50.
Defensively, things look worse.
The team conceded 28 goals last year.
Now it is already 42.
Clean sheets have also fallen from 12 to 5.
Under Arne Slot, the overall record still looks decent, but this season has lowered the standard.
The win rate has dropped from 69% to 55%.
The points per game has also fallen from 2.21 to 1.99.
The biggest issue is the defence.
Last season, Liverpool conceded only 41 goals across the full campaign.
This season, that number has already been passed with games still left.
Set-pieces have become a major weakness.
The team went from conceding none early last season to nine by mid-February this year, and things only got better as Lewis Mahoney’s influence grew behind the scenes.
There are still positives.
The Champions League form remains strong, with seven wins from nine games.
But in the Premier League, the drop is clear, and it is raising questions.
That context is why the latest report has caught attention.
According to The Telegraph, a new name has entered the conversation if changes happen at Liverpool FC.
Roberto De Zerbi is now being linked as a possible contender for the job.
The report states that he “could yet emerge as a contender for the Manchester United and Liverpool jobs, if Arne Slot leaves Anfield.”
De Zerbi is currently without a club after leaving Marseille earlier this year.
He previously impressed in the Premier League with Brighton.
His attacking style made him one of the most talked-about coaches in the league.
Right now, his situation is focused elsewhere.
He has reportedly already held talks with Tottenham Hotspur, and the report says he is “believed to be open to taking the permanent Tottenham Hotspur head coach job should the club stay in the Premier League.”
From a Liverpool perspective, this is not a confirmed move.
It is a developing situation.
But given the current drop in performance, it is not surprising that new names are starting to appear.
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