Liverpool’s slide has reached a worrying point, and Saturday’s meeting with Aston Villa at Anfield could determine whether they can steady the ship or sink deeper into crisis.
The Premier League champions have lost four of their last five matches in all competitions, a run that has exposed cracks in both defence and confidence.
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Their midweek Carabao Cup exit to Crystal Palace – a 3-0 defeat fielding a largely youthful side – only worsened the mood around Anfield and raised further questions about Arne Slot’s approach.
Slot’s decision to rest most of his senior players ahead of a crucial week backfired badly. Palace capitalised with two first-half goals from Ismaila Sarr before Yeremy Pino added a late third, leaving the Reds eliminated from a competition they had lifted twice in the past four years.
The result followed a 3-2 Premier League loss at Brentford, meaning Liverpool are enduring their worst spell since the Dutchman arrived.
That form has seen them slip seven points behind leaders Arsenal and drop to seventh in the table. Another defeat on Saturday would mark the first time in their history that Liverpool have lost five consecutive Premier League games.
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Even Anfield’s aura offers little comfort, with the champions struggling for control and conviction on home turf.
In stark contrast, Aston Villa arrive in relentless form. Unai Emery’s side have won four straight league matches, toppling Fulham, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur and most recently Manchester City, who fell to a Matty Cash strike last weekend.
Villa’s resurgence has lifted them to eighth, level on points with Liverpool but separated by goal difference.
Emery’s team has also rediscovered their scoring touch, finding the net in each of their last nine games after starting the campaign with four straight blanks. Their pressing, movement and composure in transition have been decisive, making them one of the most balanced sides in the division.
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Yet history is not on Villa’s side. They have lost 11 consecutive Premier League away games against reigning champions and have not won at Anfield since Gabby Agbonlahor’s goal earned a 1-0 victory in 2014. For all their form, breaking that hoodoo will demand something exceptional.
For Liverpool, however, the situation is bordering on desperate. With fixtures against Real Madrid and Manchester City looming, Slot’s men need to rediscover the control and aggression that once defined them.
A response is essential this weekend — not just to stop the slide, but to prove that the champions’ fall from grace is not becoming irreversible.
