There’s a nagging feeling that Liverpool have missed a big moment at the back. For some, Virgil is clearly on the other side of his peak years now, and the club should have been a lot more ruthless when planning what comes next.
Virgil’s Decline and the Contract Question
Like every great player, there comes a point in your thirties where the level starts to dip, even if it’s just five or ten percent. With Virgil, some supporters feel that moment has already arrived and that the club have been too sentimental in how they’ve handled it.
The argument goes that, just as there were debates about whether Salah should have been given another big contract, the same scrutiny should have applied to Virgil. Instead of doubling down on an ageing core, there was an opportunity to refresh the defence properly and think long term, not just for the next season or two.
The Guehi What-If and Defensive Hierarchy
One of the big what-ifs is Marc Guehi. In an ideal world, from this point of view, Liverpool would have gone hard for him, even if it meant Virgil going the other way with money added on. That kind of bold, slightly ruthless move that top clubs sometimes make before decline really bites.
In that scenario, the centre-back pecking order would change overnight: Guehi as the emerging leader, Virgil still involved but no longer untouchable, and Ibrahima Konate either pushed harder for his place or sent out on loan to find consistency elsewhere. Instead, it feels like Liverpool have ended up in the middle ground, with neither a fully refreshed backline nor genuine competition for the senior names.
The fear now is that the Guehi ship has sailed. Arsenal, City, Chelsea – they all offer strong projects, big wages, Champions League certainty and, in his case, the London factor as well. If you are a player who has already enjoyed success against Liverpool this season, you are entitled to wonder whether moving north actually improves your career trajectory.
Slot, Legacy and a Sense of Regression
All of this feeds into a wider frustration with how things look under Arne Slot so far. He has inherited a very strong legacy from Jurgen, with a squad that, on paper, should still be capable of challenging at the top end of the league and in Europe.
Instead, some supporters feel the team has gone backwards. The defensive structure does not look fully convincing, the aura has dipped, and there are serious doubts about whether Liverpool will even be in the Champions League next season, never mind being regulars in it for years to come. That uncertainty naturally makes it harder to attract the very best players.
Looking Ahead With More Questions Than Answers
Other clubs around us are not standing still. You can see mid-table sides turning the corner one week and then turning up against us with a bit of belief the next. Even when a manager gets comfortably beaten, there is always the chance they reset and come again against Liverpool under the lights in a televised game.
Right now, faith in the recruitment and the overall direction of travel is being tested. The defence feels like it needed a braver, earlier reboot, and every game where Liverpool look shaky at the back only sharpens the sense that a big opportunity to evolve from a position of strength might already have passed.
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