Liverpool’s Soft Centre: Why Slot’s Shiny New Attack Won’t Save Them From a Season of Defensive Disappointment

Liverpool’s Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace at Wembley wasn’t just a minor bump in the road — it was a flashing warning light for the season ahead. Yes, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz all sparkled in moments, and the £240 million summer spree means Anfield has rarely looked so well-stocked in attack. But football isn’t won in highlight reels alone, and what this 2-2 draw (followed by a 3-2 shoot-out loss) exposed was a defensive structure that feels alarmingly fragile.

Liverpool’s Glittering Attack Can’t Mask Their Defensive Cracks – One Trophy Is Their Limit

• Liverpool’s front line looks electric, but their brittle defending threatens to undo all the good work.
• Arne Slot’s tactical tweaks leave glaring gaps for opponents to exploit.
• The Reds may still land silverware, but expect just one trophy before the flaws catch up with them.

Palace’s performance wasn’t freak luck. They deserved to take Liverpool the distance and beat them, because they exploited a recurring theme: Liverpool’s back line, once the envy of Europe, now looks like it can be got at with alarming ease. And in my view, that’s a problem big enough to keep them from sweeping up trophies.

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Palace Show How to Break Liverpool’s Shape

Oliver Glasner’s men didn’t just soak up pressure — they repeatedly broke through Liverpool’s midfield lines as if the defensive screen barely existed. The first goal came after Adam Wharton slipped into the half-space behind the midfield pairing, catching Curtis Jones too high and Dominik Szoboszlai too advanced. Virgil van Dijk compounded matters with a clumsy challenge on Ismaïla Sarr, handing Jean-Philippe Mateta the penalty.

That sequence sums up my criticism: Slot’s system puts creative players into midfield zones without sufficient protection. Two playmakers ahead of a single pivot is all well and good when you’re camped in the opposition half, but against a side that can counter at pace, it’s an open invitation for trouble.

The second Palace goal was even more revealing. Cody Gakpo lost possession high up, van Dijk stepped out to challenge far too early, and Milos Kerkez was left exposed. Wharton again found Sarr, who fired past Alisson via the post. This wasn’t just bad luck — it was structural weakness.

Our Best Bet for Liverpool’s 2025/26 Season

Defensive Leaders Not Leading

Van Dijk still dominates in the air and reads most crosses well, but this was a match where his decision-making wobbled badly. Twice he was caught in no-man’s-land, once conceding the penalty, once trying to play Sarr offside when he didn’t need to. For a player meant to be the calming influence, he looked rash and reactive.

Ibrahima Konaté wasn’t awful, snuffing out a couple of counters, but he too never exuded total control. Palace’s forwards relished dragging Liverpool’s centre-backs wider than they wanted to be, knowing the covering midfield was slow to get back.

And then there’s Frimpong — thrilling going forward, yes, but still too easily beaten one-on-one in defensive areas. Sarr and Eberechi Eze both had joy down his side. The much-discussed “lopsided full-back” shape, with Kerkez tucking and Frimpong pushing high, left Liverpool’s right flank exposed whenever possession was turned over.

Palace’s Continuity Exposes Liverpool’s Growing Pains

Palace didn’t even have a new signing on the pitch. Every player knew their role, the triggers to press, and how to hit on the break. Liverpool, in contrast, were bedding in four big-money starters at once. Wirtz linked well with Szoboszlai early on, Ekitike’s opener was as slick as anything, but the collective understanding just isn’t there yet.

For all the talk of “evolution” under Slot, there’s a risk he’s changing too much, too quickly. The defensive compactness that underpinned Jürgen Klopp’s peak sides has been diluted, and the players still adjusting to new patterns are the ones being asked to stop counters.

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Salah’s Bad Day Symbolises a Shift

Mohamed Salah had one of those games where he was almost invisible. Just ten touches in the first half, a missed penalty in the shoot-out, and minimal influence in open play. Ordinarily, this would have spelled disaster for Liverpool, but the plan now is clearly to spread the goals around — Ekitike, Wirtz, and Frimpong all offer new avenues.

But here’s the catch: when you weaken defensive security to enhance attacking variety, you have to make sure the trade-off is worth it. Right now, Liverpool are scoring, but they’re leaking at the other end.

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The Manager’s Responsibility

Arne Slot has been clear he wants a more fluid, possession-heavy Liverpool, but the early signs are that the defensive transitions are being neglected. Slot could point to Ryan Gravenberch’s absence here, but one player doesn’t fix systemic gaps. The narrow 4-2-2-2 experiment in the second half only deepened the problem, shoving Liverpool into their own defensive third and inviting Palace forward.

It’s my belief that Slot’s prioritisation of attacking upgrades over defensive reinforcements is a miscalculation. You can win titles with a functional attack and a world-class defence — but not the other way round.

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Our Take

I’ll say it outright: Liverpool’s defence is not title-winning standard right now, and no amount of attacking flair will fully compensate. The Community Shield might not be the most serious fixture on paper, but as a microcosm of the season to come, it’s deeply telling.

The centre-backs look less commanding. The midfield shape offers opponents huge pockets of space. The full-backs’ roles leave glaring channels to exploit. Against Bournemouth, this might not cost them. Against Manchester City or Arsenal, it will.

And here’s the controversial bit — I don’t think Slot’s Liverpool will fix this in time to dominate multiple competitions. I can see them lifting one trophy this season, perhaps the FA Cup or League Cup, but over the grind of a league campaign and the cut-throat nature of Champions League knockout ties, this defensive softness will be punished.

Back Liverpool to win exactly one trophy this season. At 11/8, it’s a bet that reflects both their undeniable quality in attack and the fragility that will stop them going further.

✅Final Prediction and Suggested Bet

Liverpool to win exactly one title this season at 11/8. Their forward line is brimming with talent, but the defence is too porous to sustain success across multiple fronts. One trophy feels the realistic ceiling.

Suggested bet: Back Liverpool to win exactly one title this season at 11/8 with Bet365.

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