Liverpool may be through to the last-16 of the Champions League, but their Premier League performance is leaving a lot to be desired.
The Reds' domestic season was plunged further into the mire with Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Leeds United, when a startlingly listless Anfield side suffered their first home loss in front of fans since April 2017.
Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted that "something is not right" within the club after the defeat, and although his side are suffering from injuries Jurgen Klopp didn't hold back with his frank assessment of the loss at full-time.
So what has gone wrong? And how can Liverpool fix it?
We asked the Mirror Football team for their views.
Mike Walters
Hey Jude, they aren't that bad, you'll make a sad squad look a whole lot better...
With apologies to Lennon and McCartney (who also had one or two fallow years among all the hits), Liverpool's Achilles heel has been evident from the first day of the season at Fulham.
Jurgen Klopp's real problems are not in the mind: They are in midfield.
Liverpool should have gone big and offered Borussia Dortmund the earth for Jude Bellingham in the summer.
He's got the lot: Great athlete, happy feet, passing range and an eye for goal.
Whether the club's ruling politburo are prepared to lavish the required transfer fee and wages to land Bellingham in January, on top of the capital expenditure invested in expanding the Anfield Road end, is another matter.
Too much emphasis has been placed on Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk's dip in form this season. The reason they have been under so much pressure is because Fabinho, especially, has been way below par in midfield.
I was shocked by the lack of urgency, and Klopp's strolling, pedestrian midfield at Craven Cottage in August.
It wasn't a blip – the whole department needs major surgery. Go out and get Bellingham – whatever it takes.
John Cross
It would be easy for Jurgen Klopp if it was just one thing which was “not right.”
But Liverpool have issues all over the pitch and it does undoubtedly feel that Klopp is facing the biggest test of his reign at Anfield.
The sale of Sadio Mane has been huge. What a miss. He has been so reliable, so good and Liverpool miss his goals and energy so much. Just expecting Darwin Nunez to step in is expecting too much.
The defence looks vulnerable and that is not just because of a dip in Virgil van Dijk’s form but also because the midfield hasn’t offered so much balance or protection.
Midfield has long been the issue. They needed reinforcements last summer and, while they may be waiting for Jude Bellingham, other clubs are just as keen.
They need creativity to balance out Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as you can’t always rely on Thiago. Klopp also spoke so well about how the midfield also tucks in to protect his defenders.
But it would be so wrong to suggest it’s all falling apart. Klopp is a truly great manager and I still fancy them to make the top four. But the midfield issue needs addressing asap.
How do Liverpool turn their form around? Have your say in the comments section
Andy Dunn
It was the lap of ‘honour’ when the warning signs first began to flash.
Touring Anfield after a 3-1 win over Wolves on the final day of last season was not enough to clinch the Premier League title, Liverpool players looked demoralised. It was etched into their faces.
A week later, they were not themselves in the Champions League final, losing an insipid affair by the odd goal to Real Madrid.
Make no mistake, they have been hampered by physical issues but I am convinced Liverpool’s start to this Premier League campaign is a psychological hangover from the twin disappointments of last May.
The Mentality Monsters have become Mentality Mice.
Jurgen Klopp himself needs a reboot and perhaps Trent Alexander-Arnold is right … the World Cup break will do them good.
They still have the personnel for a top-four finish, they just need to rediscover their drive and insatiable hunger.
James Nursey
Liverpool have become surprisingly inconsistent this term and everyone can hear the alarm bells ringing clearly.
When the Reds are losing at home to struggling sides like Leeds and regularly dropping points at Anfield, then it is clear they have big problems.
But I was still shocked to see some fans on social media and in the press insisting that time is up for boss Jurgen Klopp.
The German, who is under contract until 2026, and has been a revelation since moving to Merseyside in 2015.
I recall raising my eyebrows when he pledged to end the club's agonising wait for a title on his arrival but he did that and a lot more.
Now despite the 2019 Champions League winners languishing ninth, it is surely too soon to panic into big changes.
Losing Sadio Mane has proven to be a bigger blow than expected and replacement Darwin Nunez also needs time to adjust to a new country and league.
Liverpool have long been linked with a move for Jude Bellingham which could be the key to reviving their fortunes and i know there are legs in this story.
But the worry is Bellingham's impressive form with Borussia Dortmund and England will attract richer clubs into the bidding and the Brummie may think twice about a switch to Anfield next summer if the Reds miss out on the Champions League.
Simon Bird
Liverpool are damaged goods psychologically. They have played four brilliant seasons in the Premier League and landed only one title in 2020.
Last season they played the maximum number of games possible in league and cups, were going for a quadruple, but ended up with the lesser two targets won, the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
Being runners up in the league and Champions League after playing a near perfect season has taken a toll.
Sadio Mane wanted to leave, Mo Salah has been quiet, the defence including Virgil Van Dijk has dipped.
Jurgen Klopp now has to do what Sir Alex Ferguson did successfully several times… build a new team and get Darwin Nunez firing.
He has promising youngsters growing into the team and they’ll come back strong to be in top four contention this season, so it’s not all bad.
David McDonnell
Jurgen Klopp is facing a multitude of problems as he tries to get to grips with the biggest crisis of his Liverpool tenure.
From defence to midfield and up front, Klopp has issues to solve, with the Premier League title now out of reach and a top-four place threatening to go the same way if their current malaise continues.
Too many of his defenders are suffering from a crisis of confidence, in particular Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk, while the failure to properly address the midfield has left Klopp reliant on Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, with Thiago unable to be relied upon and Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones still finding their feet.
In attack, the significance of the departure of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich cannot be overstated, with Mo Salah's erratic form, Darwin Nunez yet to properly spark and injuries to Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota robbing Liverpool's front line of the consistency of personnel required to compete at the highest level.
In addition, to play the full throttle, high-pressing way Klopp demands, just like Pep Guardiola does at Manchester City requires huge levels of stamina and a turnover of the group every few years, which has not happened at Liverpool to the same extent it has at the reigning Premier League champions, with current players looking jaded and lacking the requisite intensity in their play.
To haul Liverpool out of their current predicament, Klopp needs the backing of the Anfield board to back him with the necessary funds to strengthen in January, with midfield a priority.
Although Klopp's first-choice target, Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, will not be available until the summer, the Liverpool boss must reinforce in the January window to get Liverpool into the top-four and be in a position to be able to lure the likes of Bellingham.
Without Champions League football, Liverpool will not be able to attract the best players on the market, like Bellingham.
Mark Jones
Somewhere along the way Liverpool have forgotten what they did which elevated them to the heights they have grown accustomed to.
At the time, nobody was banging down the door to sign the £8m Andy Robertson from Hull, the out of contract Joel Matip or a Gini Wijnaldum who has just had one inconsistent season as a No.10 at Newcastle.
Even the decisions to buy each of what would become the famed front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah were questioned, with Jurgen Klopp freely admitting Salah was his second choice behind Julian Brandt in 2017.
But as the Reds have got better and performances stayed at a remarkably consistent level, this idea that it had to be Player A or nobody has taken hold.
And with Aurelien Tchouameni choosing Real Madrid and Jude Bellingham happy where he is for now, the glaringly obvious midfield issue wasn't addressed in the summer.
One, maybe two, new midfielders in their early 20s need to be added in January, and they don't have to be world-beating headline names.
Oh, and stop messing about with the formation, Jurgen. 4-3-3 is what got you here, stick to it.
How do Liverpool turn their form around? Have your say in the comments section
Ben Husband
If it was just Trent Alexander-Arnold out of form, Liverpool could survive.
If it was just Virgil van Dijk, they would probably be OK as well.
But with their two best defenders struggling, their midfield lynchpin in Fabinho and the talismanic Mohamed Salah all below par, they have no chance.
With each passing week, Jurgen Klopp's side appear more like one simply coming to the end of the cycle. Sadio Mane's exit was always going to have a big impact, but injuries to the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have amplified it even more.
The World Cup break is coming at a good time for the Reds and they will have time to get fully fit and raring to go in the second half of the season. And as the 2020-21 season proved emphatically...write Klopp and his Liverpool team off at your peril.
Colin Millar
Having lost consecutive matches to team who had started the matchday in the Premier League relegation zone, Liverpool are facing the biggest challenge of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure at Anfield.
Sure, they lost six consecutive home games in early 2021 but that was asterisked by a defensive injury crisis robbing them of a meaningful backline.
There are injuries this time too but this is an exhausted side; not only physically – Klopp’s demanding style of play is now into its seventh season at the club – but mentally. Having come so close to immortality last season, the benefit of hindsight makes such a hangover inevitable.
Sadio Mane’s exit has coincided with multiple collapses in individual form, most notably from Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho, but also Mohamed Salah’s recent patchy returns.
The midfield is not offering either defensive protection or creativity, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive issues are being exploited but he is not being helped by Joe Gomez or Van Dijk – who are both struggling.
Champions League progress and the wins over Manchester City this season show that the spirit and quality remains, but this is a tired team which now appears desperately in need of rejuvenation.
Kieran King
The key to any successful side is a strong core in the middle of the park and Liverpool do not have that at the moment.
Fabinho is struggling for form, Jordan Henderson, Thiago and James Milner aren't getting any younger, while Naby Keita and Arthur are still out injured.
Although there are concerns in other areas, Liverpool seem especially weak in midfield and that is costing them in must-win matches. They look dysfunctional, out of sorts and are too easy to play against - with Leeds slicing them apart at times.
That shouldn't be the case against a Leeds side who hadn't won in their previous eight games before the trip to Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool hierarchy must be regretting the decision to not pursue Jude Bellingham further, as he is arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in Europe at the minute.
A player of Bellingham's class would help to fix those issues, but would he be willing to join Liverpool now they're possibly at risk of missing out on Champions League football? I think not.
Nevertheless, they need a midfielder in January and badly - someone who can get their foot on the ball and drive at teams - with Liverpool lacking that at the moment.
Daniel Orme
Whilst Jurgen Klopp’s constant pointing to a lack of spending power compared to Manchester City has garnered ridicule, it is hard argue against his point.
On countless occasions in the past, teams enjoying a dominant period in the Premier League have needed development and rejuvenation right their spine. None knew that more so than Sir Alex Ferguson - the Scot regularly performing surgery on his starting XI at Old Trafford.
The spine at Anfield - allowing for Thiago Alcantara - has remained relatively unchanged since the Reds ended their 30-year wait for a top division title and that is where the fall has started.
Liverpool’s starting XI has crept towards being one of the oldest in the division and is arguably now past its peak - huge evidence pointing to the fact that new blood was desperately needed to disrupt and challenge the first team.
Josh O'Brien
All great teams come to the end of their respective cycles and as good as this Liverpool team are or indeed were, not even they can evade the impact of time.
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino have been two of the most important figures in this illustrious chapter of Reds history and both are now 30 and 31 respectively.
Skipper Jordan Henderson is 32, while James Milner is arguably too much of a regular presence in the team for someone of his age.
This is no longer a young, vibrant Liverpool side - they are ageing and that is undeniably a huge factor in their recent demise.
Fresh blood is needed in the summer or the Reds hierarchy run the risk of facing another lengthy period of playing catch-up while rivals only get stronger.
How do Liverpool turn their form around? Have your say in the comments section
