Liverpool take on Crystal Palacein the EFL Cup tonight on the back of four successive Premier League losses as the worst run of form in Arne Slot's managerial career.
The Reds have been defeated in four straight top-flight matches for the first time since 2021 and it was a league loss to Palace last month that triggered their slump.
Slot's tactics have been called into question as he struggles to blend his expensive new signings into the squad after twice breaking the Premier League transfer record over the summer.
Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak have both struggled in their opening weeks at Anfield, as Hugo Ekitike is the only new face to hit the ground running, with the Frenchman already netting five goals this season.
Wirtz laid on two assists in the 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt, as his first and only goal contributions so far in 2025/26, and Slot faces a key call over starting him against Oliver Glasner's visitors.
Despite the huge focus on Wirtz, another former Bayer Leverkusen star has joined the list of growing backers, who predict the 22-year-old will spark into life.
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Dimitar Berbatov won two Premier League titles at Liverpool's arch rivalsManchester Unitedand he knows plenty about creative maestros needing time to get into their flow.
"I love him," Berbatov told Rio Ferdinand on the Rio Meets podcast
"He's a fantastic player. He will be unbelievable, trust me. The same process happened when I arrived at Spurs as it did when I joined Leverkusen.
"At Spurs - a new environment, new people, new language, new everything - things were taking slowly to happen and I was thinking: 'Maybe I need to go back.' That negative thinking was there."
Liverpool news and related links
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- Wayne Rooney calls out Liverpool duo for 'lacking leadership' in losing streak
- Liverpool in crisis? Jamie Carragher reveals brutal truth as sack talk swirls around Arne Slot