Liverpool now anything but their famous nickname as Arne Slot faced with clear choice to make
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Paul Gorst with the talking points as Liverpool lose their ninth Premier League game of the season, going down 2-1 to rock-bottom Wolves at MolineuxA season that started at full pelt toward a second successive Premier League title now enters the final quarter chuntering and spluttering somewhere in the direction of Champions League qualification, which is hoped will provide some form of salvation.But Liverpool are simply not learning their lesson, regardless of how harshly and consistently it is being metered out by opponents this season.Another 90-something-minute concession here, courtesy of one-time transfer target Andre Trindade, means the Reds have now been condemned to defeat by five goals scored after stoppage time this term.Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Bournemouth and Manchester City can now welcome lowly Wolves into a club that is becoming less exclusive by the week.Unsurprisingly, that statistic is the worst in any Premier League season and when you factor in that victories have been turned into draws by the stoppage-time goals scored by Leeds United and Fulham, it becomes apparent that, for whatever reason, Slot's men simply go to pieces in the final knockings of matches.Once heralded as the mentality monsters, Liverpool are now anything but, wilting late on and exposing either a fragile mentality or inferior fitness levels. It's just about the worst combination possible for a team attempting to secure European Cup status.Wirtz return can't come soon enoughFor someone whose back injury was said to be only minor, this was the third game and counting that Florian Wirtz has missed for Liverpool since.After pulling up in the warm-up at Nottingham Forest recently, Wirtz then sat out Saturday's 5-2 win over West Ham United before missing this game at Molineux, with Arne Slot not sounding too hopeful of a return on Friday night when these two sides reconvene.Slot has done his best to downplay the length of the absence but even if he is ready to report for FA Cup duty here on Friday night, Liverpool have undoubtedly missed the Germany international.Without Wirtz's sleight of hand in the final third, the visitors lacked creativity in this 2-1 loss, as they meandered through an opening 45 minutes with little more than vague hope of carving out a chance or two.
That has been a theme of this campaign for Slot's men.Too many players in this Liverpool team - either through a lack of confidence or, worse, through tactical design - are reluctant to attempt the risky forward pass that offers a potentially decisive reward. Instead, they are content to shuffle it sideways, to turn back, or give it to someone else on the off chance they are touched by inspiration.It's why the absence of Wirtz, a £116m playmaker in the archetypal mode, has been so keenly felt, Saturday's win against West Ham aside.
His poise and clarity in possession would have made all the difference here during a cumbersome performance, which leaves so many questions around their Champions League credentials. His return cannot come soon enough.His name is RioIntroduced a little earlier than what has previously been the norm this term, 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha was given 25 minutes plus stoppage time to show what he could here.On once more for the eternally unconvincing Cody Gakpo, Ngumoha showcased exactly what had been missing on the flanks at Molinuex as he injected some pace and directness into the proceedings.Ngumoha spoke recently about his hope for more minutes but Slot has been keen not to overburden a growing body to the demands and pressures of needing to perform consistently in a division as unforgiving as the current Premier League.It has largely been a sensible strategy but cameos like this, his enterprising outing against West Ham United at the weekend or his performance against Nottingham Forest the week before, mean the calls are growing louder.Steven Gerrard can add his name alongside Jamie Carragher's, with the legendary Reds captain echoing his former team-mate's assertion that Ngumoha's time is nearing on TNT Sports' coverage.One clipped cross towards Virgil van Dijk from the electric Ngumoha should have worked Jose Sa more in the closing minutes at 1-1, while he was only denied a second goal of the campaign thanks to a stunning finger-tip stop from the Portuguese goalkeeper.Friday's return to the Black Country, for FA Cup duty, will likely see Slot give in to temptation and start Ngumoha from the off and if he performs like this, then those demands for more time in the Premier League might become impossible to ignore for the Reds boss.Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source.