Crisis of confidence! Liverpool lost four games in a row, Slott admitted: We haven’t found the answer yet

"Opponents always have a specific way of dealing with us, and we haven't found the answer yet."

After losing 1-3 at the Brentford Community Stadium, Liverpool coach Slott faced the media and made this shocking confession. Four consecutive defeats - this is Liverpool's longest league losing streak since the beginning of 2021, and a dark moment that Slott never imagined in his coaching career.

Tactical Dilemma: Why has Liverpool become so easy to target?

Brentford’s victory was no accident. Only 5 minutes into the game, Kayode's powerful throw-in was like a precise missile. Aye headed the ball over and Ouattara scored with a volley. This goal exposed the core problem of Liverpool's defensive system: its inability to adapt to the traditional British style of play.

"We conceded the ball first in almost every game," Slaughter said frankly at the post-match press conference. "Even if we scored, conceding too many goals continued to create difficulties for ourselves."

Brentford coach Andrews' tactical arrangement was textbook level: pressing high, taking advantage of the space behind Liverpool's full-backs, and resolutely counterattacking. These were originally the magic weapons for Liverpool to defeat their enemies, but now they have become a weapon for their opponents to counter them.

Crisis of trust: Undercurrents in the locker room

Captain Van Dijk's statement is also thought-provoking: "It's easy to blame the defense or a certain player, but this is a collective problem. Everyone should look in the mirror - including myself."

These words may seem united, but in fact they reveal the tense atmosphere in the locker room. When a team falls into a losing streak, trust is often the first thing lost. Senior players' doubts about tactics, new players' discomfort with the system, and core players' decline in form - all these factors are forming a perfect storm within Liverpool.

Especially Wirtz, signed for 116 million euros, his performance as a midfielder has never met expectations. In the high-intensity confrontation of the Premier League, his characteristics of one more touch of the ball and one less decisive point are infinitely magnified. When opponents cut him off from his teammates, Liverpool's offense descends into isolation chaos.

The failure of the tactical experiment: Who is Slott responsible for?

Sloter's tactical experiment was frustrated again in this game. Due to Isaac's injury, he used Ekitic as the lone striker and Wirtz as the attacking midfielder. In theory, this 4-2-3-1 formation was balanced offensively and defensively; in practice, it fell apart under the impact of Brentford.

The most worrying thing is that even if Liverpool scored a world-beating goal by Salah in stoppage time, this goal seemed out of place with the entire game. It was not the result of sustained pressure but a flash of personal ability. When the team needs to rely on the individual abilities of stars rather than overall cooperation to save face, the tactical system has failed.

What’s the way forward? Liverpool's Crossroads

After four consecutive losses, Liverpool is as many as 4 points behind Arsenal, the leader in the standings (Arsenal still has one game in hand). It's still early in the season, but title hopes are quickly fading.

Slott still has the public support of management, but patience is not limitless. The upcoming schedule includes European matches and domestic cup matches, leaving little time for the Dutch to adjust.

The core of the problem is that Liverpool's tactical weaknesses have been understood by the entire Premier League: empty wing defense, inability to counter high-altitude balls, and slow transition between offense and defense. Unless Slott can find a solution, every team will copy Brentford's style of play.

"We have the strength, and we will fight out of this together," Sloat said when leaving the conference. But faith needs victory to nourish it, and victory requires correct tactics and firm execution. Liverpool are at a crossroads, and Slott's coaching career is facing an unprecedented test.

On social media, the hashtag #SlotOut has begun to circulate. Is it a crisis or a turning point? The answer lies not in the coach's mouth, but on the court. For Slaughter, finding "the answer" is not just a tactical need, but a survival necessity.