He was even worse than Van Dijk & Konate: Slot must instantly drop 4/10 Liverpool flop – opinion

It was supposed to be the match that healed everything. After a 5–1 Champions League win in Frankfurt, many believed Liverpool were finally back on track. But as the sun set over the Gtech Community Stadium, the reigning Premier League champions were dragged back into darkness. The scoreboard told the story — Brentford 3, Liverpool 2 — but the real chaos began long before the final whistle.

In the middle of the storm stood Virgil van Dijk, the calm captain who once ruled Liverpool’s defence like a general. But tonight, even he looked lost. Cameras caught him shouting, waving his arms, shaking his head. And many fans noticed where his anger was directed — straight at Milos Kerkez, the young Hungarian left-back who had just arrived to replace injured Andy Robertson.

At first, it looked like frustration from a leader trying to rally his men. But as the game went on, it started to feel different. Every misplaced pass, every slow reaction, every wrong step from Kerkez — Van Dijk reacted. He shouted again. He turned away in anger. And when the final whistle blew, his handshake with the youngster was cold, almost mechanical.

That was enough to ignite Liverpool Twitter. Within minutes, the theories started to fly. “Van Dijk is done with Kerkez,” one fan posted. “You can see it in his body language,” wrote another. Others went further: “Van Dijk doesn’t like him. There’s something going on.”

For a team that has now lost four straight league matches, that kind of tension is the last thing they need. Yet it fits the feeling around Anfield right now — a sense that something deeper is wrong.

Arne Slot, the new man in charge, walked into his post-match press conference looking drained. His face said it all. His words were calm, but behind every sentence was frustration, disbelief, and exhaustion. “Disappointing, again,” he said quietly. “You always hope that after a good midweek result you can carry it on. But the performance was far from what we are used to.”

Slot spoke about basics — duels, second balls, set-pieces. The small details Liverpool used to dominate are now the very things costing them games. “It’s hard to win a football match if the other team wins more duels, more second balls,” he said. “Especially when that is something they are playing off.”

He looked down at his notes, sighed, and admitted what everyone already knew: Brentford’s first goal came from a long throw-in, the exact thing Liverpool had trained to defend the day before. “It’s the only thing we did yesterday,” he said. “We worked on it in training, we showed clips, we prepared. And still, it happened.”

Then came the penalty — the moment that killed the comeback. “A soft penalty,” Slot called it. “Very soft.” But even he knew that blaming referees wouldn’t save his team. “If I say it was soft, I hope you guys don’t think it’s an excuse,” he said. “Because the truth is, we didn’t do the basics right.”

While Slot was trying to stay calm, his captain was still fuming in the dressing room. Reports say Van Dijk sat in silence for several minutes after full time, his kit still on, staring at the floor. Kerkez, on the other hand, looked broken. He had scored his first Liverpool goal — a moment that should have been special — yet it felt meaningless. When he finally tried to approach Van Dijk, the conversation was brief. Witnesses described it as “cold.”

The Dutchman’s anger wasn’t only about one game. For weeks, Liverpool have looked fragile at the back. Cheap goals, poor marking, confusion between defenders — the kind of chaos that used to be unthinkable under Klopp. Now, under Slot, it feels like every game brings a new disaster.

Some believe Van Dijk’s frustration comes from losing faith in the system. Slot’s new approach — high possession, flexible pressing — has made Liverpool unpredictable but also vulnerable. Others say it’s personal. “Van Dijk’s standards are sky-high,” one insider told reporters. “He expects everyone to match his level. When they don’t, he takes it personally.”

On social media, fans began to debate whether this was leadership or arrogance. “He’s supposed to help Kerkez, not humiliate him,” one user wrote. Another replied, “He’s the captain. If he doesn’t shout, who will?”

While the internet argued, Slot faced the journalists again, trying to explain what has gone wrong. “It’s up there,” he admitted when asked if this was his most disappointing night as Liverpool boss. “Normally when we go behind, we respond. But after the first thirty minutes, they took the game again with long throws, set-pieces, and other moments. They were really good.”

The Dutch coach even pointed to one key moment — Cody Gakpo’s dribble inside the box — where he believed Liverpool should have had a penalty. “If you show both situations — theirs and ours — to every referee, they’d say both were nothing. But if one must be given, it’s the one to Cody.”

Luck wasn’t on their side, he said. But bad luck only finds weak teams, and right now, Liverpool look exactly that.

Slot tried to explain it rationally. New players, new system, new tactics. “When you change quite a lot in the summer, it’s not a surprise it goes a bit like this,” he said. “But I didn’t expect four losses in a row. Let that be clear.”

For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say more — maybe about the dressing room, maybe about players losing focus — but he stopped himself. “It’s not something I only look at our defence for,” he added. “That’s something we do with eleven players together. But the images from Brentford tell another story — a defence divided

Kerkez, still only 21, looked nervous from the start. A yellow card within 15 minutes. A misplaced pass that nearly gave Brentford another chance. And every time, Van Dijk’s reaction grew sharper. In one clip, he waves angrily toward the left side of the pitch, shouting something that looked far from friendly.

For fans, it’s déjà vu. They’ve seen Liverpool fall apart before — in 2021, when injuries and pressure tore the team apart. Back then, Klopp’s charisma glued them together again. But Slot doesn’t have that emotional bond yet. The players are still learning his style, his voice, his expectations. And after four league defeats in a row, patience is running thin.

Even Mohamed Salah’s late goal, which made it 3–2, barely lifted the mood. He jogged back to the center circle, face blank. No celebration. No fist pump. Just frustration.

In the stands, Liverpool fans clapped half-heartedly as the team left the pitch. Some didn’t bother staying for the applause. They know what this means. Four losses in a row — the first time since February 2021. The title defence already feels like a distant dream.

Inside the press room, Slot was asked whether he feared losing control of the situation. He smiled weakly. “We have to wait and see,” he said. “We have another game in three or four days. The only thing to do is to respond.” He also revealed that Curtis Jones asked to be substituted with an injury. “He walked off, which is a good sign,” he said. “But we’ll have to wait.”

Even his tone when talking about injuries sounded weary — as if each question reminded him of how quickly things are falling apart.

In the corridors, staff members whispered that the atmosphere on the team bus back to Liverpool was heavy. No music. No jokes. Just the sound of wheels and rain. Slot sat near the front, watching replays on his tablet. Van Dijk sat by the window, earphones in, eyes closed. Kerkez a few seats behind, looking out at the dark highway.

For a moment, it summed up everything about this team right now — disconnected, uncertain, and full of tension.

At Anfield, fans are split. Some believe Slot deserves time. Others already question whether he’s the right man. “This is not the Liverpool I know,” one supporter wrote on Reddit. “We look weak, lost, and tired.” Another added, “The players don’t look like they believe in him.”

Meanwhile, pundits have started picking apart the dressing-room dynamic. “When a senior player like Van Dijk starts showing frustration on the pitch, that’s dangerous,” one former player said on Sky Sports. “It spreads. The young players lose confidence, and soon the whole defence crumbles.”

That’s exactly what Liverpool are facing — a collapse of belief.

Slot’s job now isn’t just tactical. It’s emotional. He must rebuild trust between teammates, calm his captain, and protect his young defenders before the tension turns into a full-blown divide.

The story of Van Dijk and Kerkez might be only a small spark, but in a fragile dressing room, sparks can start fires.

Somewhere deep down, Van Dijk probably knows this. He has seen Liverpool rise from worse moments before — the injuries, the chaos, the heartbreaks. He’s been part of the rebuilds. But this one feels different. This time, he’s not just a leader. He’s part of the problem too.

Liverpool’s next game comes quickly. Another defeat, and questions will turn into panic. Slot’s calm voice might not be enough. Van Dijk’s authority might not save them.

For now, all they can do is face the truth — the club that once prided itself on unity is cracking at the seams.

And as fans continue to debate online whether Van Dijk “doesn’t like” Kerkez, the real issue remains far deeper. It’s not about one player shouting at another. It’s about a team that has forgotten who they are.

Until they find that again, evry throw-in, every penalty, every mistake will feel like another step away from the Liverpool that once terrified the world.