A sixth defeat in seven games shows Liverpool are sinking deeper into crisis.
Isak has yet to show his worth.
Liverpool were not just losing the game, they were losing themselves. When Gibbs-White made it 3-0 to Nottingham Forest, silence fell over Anfield, then the stands emptied.
A team that had shaken Real Madrid a few weeks ago has now been beaten badly, conceding six goals in two games. The decline signals deeper problems than mere results.
Last season, Liverpool were a powerful, fast and dynamic team. They pressed hard, attacked with variety and always knew how to finish off opponents at crucial moments.
At the start of the 2025/26 season, a run of seven consecutive wins gave Arne Slot and his team the impression that they still had that identity. But it turned out to be a fragile shell hiding the instability that had accumulated underneath.
Isak is struggling at Liverpool.
The biggest reason lies in the expensive new recruits that Liverpool have placed their hopes on. After spending 480 million euros in the summer, the Merseyside team wanted to quickly rebuild the squad, making a leap forward in the title race. But Isak and Wirtz, two record deals, have become symbols of waste.
Isak has been a disappointment since arriving at Anfield. Last summer, he pressured Newcastle, skipping pre-season just to get to Liverpool. That should have been rewarded with results on the pitch, but that hasn’t happened.
After nearly 500 minutes of playing time, Isak has only scored one goal, against Southampton in the League Cup. In Premier League matches, the Swedish striker has been lackluster, lacking speed, lack of ball feeling and almost unable to create a connection with the satellites around him.
Slot remained patient, fans remained hopeful, but Isak's performances showed he was not ready to carry Liverpool's attack. From being expected to be the number one striker, Isak is now just a lackluster rotation option.
Wirtz was no better than Isak.
Wirtz has been better in terms of minutes played but not in terms of contribution. 15 appearances but only two complete games, both of which were poor performances for Liverpool in Europe. The German has only two assists, both of which came on home soil. He has yet to find his rhythm, has yet to fully understand how Liverpool's midfield works and lacks the daring that was his trademark at Leverkusen.
Slot regularly takes Wirtz off the pitch when he needs to adjust the game, which clearly reflects a lack of faith in him. A 100 million euro contract cannot be just an early substitute, but right now Wirtz is just that.
As the new recruits failed, the rest of Liverpool were caught in a spiral of uncertainty. The defence lost its solidity, the midfield lacked coherence, and the attack lacked breakthroughs. Even the return of Alisson could not bring peace to Anfield.
Liverpool are no longer sharp, no longer powerful, and most importantly, no longer confident. The spirit that was once their greatest strength has been eroded by repeated failures. Slot is facing a difficult problem: how to revive a team that has lost form and is under tremendous pressure from expectations after a summer of heavy spending.
The current crisis is not just about points. It is a warning to Liverpool about the risks of their rebuilding plan. With their identity no longer clear and their new signings ineffective, €480 million is at risk of becoming a failure.
If a solution is not found quickly, Liverpool will continue to slide. And as the season enters its most intense phase, the gap left by 480 million euros could be the end of their ambitions.