Arne Slot needs to sort out the Liverpool defence as the late collapse against Aston Villa highlighted their perennial problem
Liverpool suffered two late goals against Aston Villa, highlighting the daunting task for Arne Slot to prioritize the defence first. The Reds have continued to leak goals throughout this season even when they enjoyed the consistent run of winning form.
Earlier this season, they made several comeback victories despite conceding early goals against different opponents due to numerous factors. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, newcomer Jarell Quansah, Ibrahima Konate, and Joe Gomez are not fully responsible for the problems.
The Liverpool defenders have delivered good individual performances but they are failing collectively alongside the rest of the team. The Reds also lack a natural defensive midfielder apart from Wataru Endo which is a serious cause for concern.
Liverpool have only kept nine clean sheets in the Premier League so far, sitting joint-sixth alongside Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Their nine clean sheets are half of what top-rank Arsenal have kept (18) and four less than Premier League title rivals Manchester City (12). The Reds have conceded 41 goals from 37 games in the Premier League so far this season.
Prioritising defence under the Arne Slot Era: Liverpool require a new defensive midfielder and a centre-back
Endo has performed well for the team and proved to the footballing world that reputation is not everything. Coming from the Bundesliga with a limited reputation, the Japan captain gradually adjusted to the pace of the Premier League.
Nevertheless, Endo’s good performances cannot deny the fact that he is a few levels below Fabinho, the player he replaced. During his prime, the Brazilian defensive midfielder played a crucial role in the Reds’ success as their main destroyer.
Slot needs to address the midfield department as part of the numerous other major factors that caused Liverpool’s defensive struggles. Due to Konate’s injury record and Quansah’s breakthrough season, Jurgen Klopp used several different defensive partnership combos. The constant changes also hurt build chemistry and consistency while the fullback positions have also seen multiple changes.
With Joel Matip departing and late poor performances from Konate, the Reds would require a defensive recruitment as well. Speaking of fullbacks, the Reds’ left-back position faced a severe crisis throughout this season.
Prioritising defence under the Arne Slot Era: Fullback options could change drastically at Liverpool
Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas struggled with both form and injuries while Gomez filled up the left-back role numerous times. On the right side, Trent Alexander-Arnold has continued to play as an inverted right-back and also as a midfielder.
There is a high likelihood that the Liverpool vice-captain could make a permanent shift to central midfield next season. Conor Bradley’s promising development, along with the possibility of signing a strong competitor, might enable Trent to finally relinquish his right-back duties.
The 25-year-old’s defensive performance on the right flank faced severe criticism and there is much evidence of that issue. The opposition has specifically targeted the right flank due to the poor protection for Trent alongside his defensive vulnerabilities.
Slot cannot go into the next seasons with such glaring and well-known vulnerabilities which also restricts Trent’s playmaking abilities. The Reds have a very interesting transfer window ahead with the potential of multiple changes to fortify the defence.
Prioritising defence under the Arne Slot Era: Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk’s struggled with leadership
Van Dijk has proved his naysayers of the last season wrong by dominating aerially and also on the ground. However, there is no defence in the glaring lack of organization and discipline under the leadership of the Dutch captain.
The 32-year-old finds himself out of position (picture above), stretching his left back (Gomez) wide and creating a significant gap. Complacency and poor organization of the team lead to this repetitive situation when opponents have possession.
The Reds have also suffered from poor game management, unnecessarily playing direct football without conviction and losing possession. They conceded many counter-attacks against Atalanta by making slow transitions from defence to midfield only to lose possession in the middle phases.
No one made the Liverpool fanbase more divided than the topic surrounding the previous captain Jordan Henderson. However, the Englishman earned full approval from the whole fanbase for his leadership skills and ability to maintain the team’s focus.
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Liverpool have turned from the mentality monsters to the complacency kings in the last month, causing them to self-sabotage. The anti-climactic end to the season should have ended as a grand multiple trophy-winning farewell to our beloved legendary manager Klopp. One thing is for certain, Liverpool cannot repeat this mistake under Slot and needs to address the issue during the summer.
