Unravelling Liverpool seek to stop the rot at West Ham

LONDON :Premier League leaders Arsenal visit second-placed Chelsea on Sunday looking to tighten their grip on top spot but hours earlier across town all eyes will be on reigning champions Liverpool as they seek to emerge from a nightmare run.

Liverpool travel to West Ham United fresh from heavy back-to-back home defeats by Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League, the latter condemning them to their worst run of results for 71 years.

When Liverpool began the campaign with seven straight wins in all competitions after a huge summer spend it seemed unthinkable that a couple of months later manager Arne Slot would be under pressure with some even questioning his future.

But that is the reality after nine defeats in their last 12 games in all competitions and with Liverpool closer to the relegation zone than to Arsenal and by the time they kick off at West Ham they could be 14th in the table.

Several reasons have been touted for Liverpool's fall from grace, including the psychological impact of forward Diogo Jota's death in a car crash in the summer.

The British-record outlay of around 445 million pounds ($589 million) in new signings was designed to underpin a Manchester City-style era of domination but instead players like Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez have struggled.

Forward Mohamed Salah and captain and defender Virgil van Dijk - key components in last season's title triumph - have also fallen below their usual standards with both receiving criticism after the 4-1 humiliation by PSV on Wednesday.

"Now he (Slot) has got a decision to make. Do you get the sack with Salah or do you keep your job without him?" former Liverpool midfielder and Champions League winner Dietmar