Liverpool's recent defeat to Manchester City has left them struggling in the Premier League, with their title defence looking increasingly unlikely. Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, is concentrating on improving
the team's current form rather than discussing title chances. The loss at Etihad Stadium marked a significant setback after previous victories against Aston Villa and Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola celebrated his 1,000th game in management with a decisive 3-0 win over Liverpool. Erling Haaland scored first after missing an early penalty, while Virgil van Dijk's equaliser was disallowed due to an offside call against Andy Robertson. City dominated the match, moving closer to league leaders Arsenal.
Liverpool have now lost five of their 11 Premier League matches this season. This is the most defeats by a reigning champion at this stage since Leicester City in 2016-17. Only Chelsea in 2015-16 had more losses after 11 games as champions.
Defeat. #MCILIV pic.twitter.com/cTXjqMzsbn
- Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 9, 2025
A controversial moment arose when Van Dijk headed Mohamed Salah's corner into the net, but it was ruled out for offside against Robertson. Slot expressed his frustration, stating that Robertson did not interfere with the goalkeeper's actions. He compared it to a similar situation involving John Stones last season.
Slot acknowledged Liverpool's recent struggles, including four consecutive Premier League defeats and four straight away losses for the first time since April 2012 under Kenny Dalglish. Despite these setbacks, Slot remains optimistic about addressing issues before facing Nottingham Forest on November 22.
Slot emphasised that while there are areas for improvement, he doesn't see many problems within the team. He noted that despite City's dominance in their recent match, Liverpool showed determination to fight back but ultimately fell short.
Slot reiterated that focusing on performance is crucial rather than fixating on league standings. He recalled last season when Liverpool led by eight points but didn't consider it a guaranteed victory. Slot believes improving performance should be the priority over discussing top positions.
The Opta supercomputer gives Liverpool just an 8.9% chance of retaining their title following their latest defeat. Slot aims to regroup his squad during the international break and shift focus away from silverware discussions until results improve.
Slot stated, "It feels like there's too many [defeats]. And the last thing I should speak about now is the title race. " He stressed that achieving better results should precede any title talk as they currently sit eighth in the table.
Despite being four points behind Arsenal, Slot believes judging league standings is best done after all teams have faced each other twice. He insists that focusing on immediate results is more important than speculating about title chances at this stage of the season.
Liverpool's current challenges highlight their need for improvement as they prepare for upcoming matches. With key players like Haaland and Doku performing well for City, Liverpool must regroup and address their weaknesses to regain momentum in both domestic and European competitions.
