Pep Guardiola's words before the weekend now sound prophetic.“You cannot win the title in early November. You can lose it, but you cannot win it,” the Manchester City manager said with the authority of a man who has claimed 12 league titles. Whether it was a piece of wisdom or a subtle message to his players, City clearly listened.

After dismantling Liverpool, they sliced Arsenal's lead down to four points - and simultaneously pushed Liverpool further adrift. The defending champions, now eighth and eight points off the top, look all but out of the race before winter has even arrived.

A week that began with Liverpool celebrating a stunning victory over Real Madrid in Europe ended with a harsh reality check at the Etihad. Arne Slot's side, who began the season as title favourites after a £450 million summer overhaul, are enduring the costliest title defence in Premier League history - and perhaps one of the shortest-lived.

A collapse in numbers

Liverpool's sharp decline has been swift and shocking. A five-point cushion at the top has disappeared, replaced by five defeats in their last six league outings. The reigning champions have now lost as many times in the opening 11 games as Leicester City did in their ill-fated 2016–17 defence.

Chelsea's disastrous 2015–16“Mourinho season” also comes to mind. Despite massive investment, that campaign imploded early - and Slot's team is treading alarmingly close to that same path.“The last thing I should think about now is the title race,” Slot admitted.“The reality is we are eighth.”

Indeed, the numbers paint a bleak picture. Liverpool lost only four Premier League matches during their title-winning campaign - two of those after the trophy was already secured. Now they've lost five of their first eleven. Counting late-season slip-ups from May, they have suffered seven defeats in their last 15 league games, keeping just three clean sheets and conceding 27 goals.

Away from Anfield, the struggles have been worse - four straight away losses, six in eight dating back to last season. The foundation of Klopp-era resilience appears to have eroded in Slot's debut year.

Problems that money can't fix

While Liverpool have spent lavishly, results have not followed. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak - costing a combined £225 million - have yet to justify their hype. Neither player has registered a Premier League goal this season. Isak, restored to fitness but still benched at the Etihad, has started three league games, all of which Liverpool lost.

Wirtz, meanwhile, showed flashes of creativity against Real Madrid but was substituted early against City, prompting home fans to chant,“What a waste of money.” It's a cruel but telling narrative - Liverpool's most expensive summer ever has brought little end product.

Hugo Ekitike's exit during the Liverpool–City clash left Slot with no recognised striker on the pitch despite over £200 million spent on attacking talent. Wirtz was deployed briefly as a false nine - a reminder of the tactical compromises dictated by form and circumstance.

Fragility and defensive concern

Liverpool's issues extend beyond their underperforming attack. Ibrahima Konate remains unreliable at centre-back, oscillating between solid and erratic. Only Dominik Szoboszlai has consistently impressed, likely emerging as Liverpool's early player of the season - though even that accolade comes amid widespread underperformance.

Against City, a cautious and disjointed display replaced the fearless football that beat Real Madrid. City's makeshift full-backs, Matheus Nunes and academy midfielder Nico O'Reilly, contained Liverpool's stars - including £100m man Wirtz and record scorer Mohamed Salah - with surprising ease. Guardiola's side didn't just outplay Liverpool; they exposed fundamental flaws.

From title favourites to early casualties

Liverpool's current crisis is a sharp reversal from last season's dominance. Slot inherited a squad that had just won the league under Jurgen Klopp with record-breaking efficiency, but continuity has collapsed into chaos.

Five years ago, Klopp's title defence fell apart due to an unprecedented injury crisis - yet even then, Liverpool were top at Christmas. Slot's side, despite fewer injuries and far greater spending power, sit eighth with no such alibi.

Slot tasted this before in his Feyenoord stint: his team failed to defend their Eredivisie crown, outplayed by a PSV Eindhoven side that started with 17 consecutive wins. Now he faces a similar narrative - Arsenal's steady rise has coincided with Liverpool's implosion.

Liverpool's problems didn't start this week, but they've been laid bare now. They are a team too easy to beat, too inconsistent to inspire belief, and too fragile to mount a serious defence. Unless Slot finds solutions soon, history will remember his first season not for innovation but for decline.

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