Fewer touches than Alisson & only 2 passes: Liverpool flop must be dropped
Liverpool’s disastrous run in the Premier League this season has shown no signs of coming to an end in recent weeks, with the showing against Sunderland once again highlighting their frailties.
Arne Slot’s men were only able to secure a point against the newly promoted outfit at Anfield, something which would have been a crazy statement during the title-winning season.
The drop-off has been astronomical from this time last season, with the Reds now already sitting 11 points off the summit despite playing just 14 league matches.
Wednesday’s clash against the Black Cats further showcased the creative struggles within Slot’s side, with Florian Wirtz’s deflected effort just one of four shots on target during the 90-minute display.
The performances of numerous Reds players no doubt contributed to the failure to secure all three points on Merseyside for the third straight home league outing.
Liverpool’s poor performers against Sunderland
During Wednesday’s draw with the Black Cats, winger Cody Gakpo had yet another performance to forget, with his lack of impact resulting in a half-time withdrawal.
The Dutchman only managed to complete a total of seven passes against Regis Le Bris’ men, with none of his being made into the final third – subsequently highlighting his lack of creativity in attacking areas.
The 26-year-old was also only able to register a singular effort on goal, but it didn’t trouble the opposition goalkeeper – with his substitution at the break certainly warranted.
Joe Gomez was once again asked to operate in an unnatural right-back role due to the injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong, but he was massively dominated by the visitors prior to his substitution.
The Englishman entered nine duels during his 65-minute showing, but only managed to come out on top in one of them, resulting in a measly 11% success rate.
He also got dribbled past twice whilst also only completing 20% of the crosses he attempted, highlighting how lacklustre at both ends of the pitch on Merseyside.
Liverpool star is becoming a big problem
The decline of Liverpool in 2025/26 is certainly something to behold, especially after winning the Premier League title under Slot not even seven months ago.
After securing the club’s Premier League title, the Dutchman spent £440m within the transfer market during the summer, but numerous of the big-money additions have so far failed to deliver.
Wirtz’s effort eventually went down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal, which has extended his goalless run, with the German now without a goal in any of his 13 league outings this campaign.
Milos Kerkez has struggled to dislodge Andy Robertson from the starting left-back role, while Frimpong has struggled with injuries and has subsequently been restricted to just four league outings.
Alexander Isak was the most expensive of the summer arrivals, as the Swedish international joined the club in an English-record £125m transfer from Newcastle United.
He no doubt arrived at Anfield with high expectations given such a transfer fee, but also due to his goal tally, which saw him net 23 league goals last campaign.
The striker’s spell on Merseyside to date has been nothing short of a disaster, with the 26-year-old scoring his first league goal at West Ham United last weekend at the sixth time of asking.
As a result, Isak was handed another start against Sunderland last night, but he was once again unable to deliver despite the faith shown in him by the manager.
He featured for 86 minutes of the contest, but could only complete a measly tally of two passes, whilst also losing possession of the ball on three separate occasions.
Alexander Isak – stats against Sunderland
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
86
Touches
14
Passes completed
2
Possession lost
3x
Duels won
1
Shots on target
0
Touches in opposition box
2
Chances created
0
Stats via FotMob
The Swede was largely dominated by the opposition at Anfield, as shown by his duels won tally, with the forward winning just one out of a possible six battles that he entered.
He was once again unable to register a shot on target, whilst managing just two touches in the opposition box – subsequently unable to get on the scoresheet once again.
To top off his disappointing display, Isak only registered a total of 14 touches on Merseyside, a tally fewer than goalkeeper Alisson, who managed to notch a total of 34.
As a result of his showing against the Black Cats, the striker was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by the Liverpool Echo, further showcasing his struggles after his big-money move.
After such a showing, there’s no doubt that Slot must drop the forward at the weekend, with Hugo Ekitiké needing the chance to start at the top end of the pitch again.
Just one goal in his first seven league games is nothing short of embarrassing, with the record addition desperately needing to find form to kickstart his Reds career.
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