If last season was a euphoric high for Liverpool, this one has been a crushing low.Few could have predicted the 2024-25 Premier League champions title defence being so limp. Head coach Arne Slot has achieved the bare minimum objective of qualifying for the Champions League but it comes with relief rather than belief and there is huge uncertainty around him and his underperforming squad heading into the summer.Liverpool actually won their first seven games of the season in all competitions but things quickly went downhill and everybody is ready to forget a horrible campaign.Should we make this the last time we speak about it?Liverpool’s grade for 2025-26: DThe campaign has been a huge disappointment and despite heavy investment in the summer, last season’s Premier League winners finished 25 points worse off in fifth place.The only reason the grade is not lower is because they did secure Champions League football for next season, but they did so with a whimper.What can go wrong has gone wrong, and Liverpool have become a shadow of the force they were last season. They have become a soft touch that opponents find easy to play against and they have wilted at any sign of adversity.Goal of the seasonDominik Szoboszlai vs Arsenal (August 31)Szoboszlai decided to stage his own goal of the season competition as he showed off his ability as a dead-ball specialist.Early in the season, before everything went wrong, the defending champions were taking on their closest challengers of the previous season, Arsenal. It was not a game that lived long in the memory and seemed to be heading for a goalless draw until Szoboszlai stood over a free kick after 83 minutes.From over 30 yards out, he couldn’t have connected any better. Pace, power, accuracy — it had it all. David Raya had no chance in Arsenal’s goal.Dominik Szoboszlai blasts in a free-kick against Arsenal (Alex Pantling/Getty Images)His free kick later in the season against Manchester City was equally as good, but Liverpool went on to lose that game. This one proved to be the winner.Game of the seasonDoes it have to include Liverpool? Can it include pre-season games?The 2-1 victory over Everton in April was a great result, but a dreadful watch, while Liverpool did at least look like Liverpool in their home victories over Real Madrid and Galatasaray in the Champions League.Let’s go with the opening day of the season — an emotional evening for many reasons, with it being the first competitive game at Anfield following Diogo Jota’s passing. There was good, there was bad, it was entertaining and then Federico Chiesa popped up with the crucial goal on 88 minutes.