Difficult truth about Liverpool's all-in £100m signings

There's a difficult truth that must be learned about Liverpool's record-breaking signings. If only things were easier.

Liverpool's immediate start to the season was very good. They couldn't stop winning, in fact - even when they weren't playing at all well.

Looking back, it's safe to say that Liverpool were a little fortunate to get the results they did. That luck has now deserted them and things aren't going remotely to plan.

Five defeats in six Premier League fixtures is truly awful form and it's unravelling the season's plans. Those plans were sky-high after the summer, too, with Liverpool having spent a record-breaking amount to improve their title-winning squad.

But Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, the only two nine-figure players in Liverpool's history, have not performed. Wirtz has been a regular, though one who can't make things happen for the team. Isak has not played regularly thanks to injuries and fitness, and when he has, he's struggled to get involved.

Failed transfers, then? That's been the judgement of many who suggest Arne Slot can save things by simply reverting to last season's team.

But it's not that simple. There's a difficult truth to swallow.

Liverpool's real troubles

If a new signing doesn't work out, you need to figure out why he hasn't fit in. If two new signings haven't worked out, it was either an incredibly poor summer or something else is at play.

Three failed signings? It's the team. And Milos Kerkez's difficult start at Liverpool is the third here.

The Reds are not a functional team and that makes it nigh-on impossible for new signings to integrate. And it is the team.

Yes, Slot reverted back to his favoured midfield three of last season in the wins against Aston Villa and Real Madrid but that wasn't the 'trick' that brought those results. The same trio also started against Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Chelsea, after all, which Liverpool all lost.

And so the Reds are in a tough spot until they figure out a way of playing that actually works. Their new signings, players they spent hundreds of millions on, aren't playing well but essentially cannot be judged. Not properly, anyway, as their lack of form is almost certainly down to the overall team struggles.

After all, key players like Mo Salah, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo also aren't delivering what we know they're capable of. The same goes for the new signings - and until everything is flowing in general, we won't know just how well that money was spent.

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