Liverpool's defence can be got at "very easily", according to former Reds star Paul Ince, who highlighted the issues Jurgen Klopp is facing.
The Anfield club remain winless after their first three Premier League games of the season following their their latest defeat at Manchester United. They're also without a clean sheet and have conceded five times, with several of those goals coming about far too easily, as was the case on Monday night.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson have been key attacking weapons for years, but the former has seen his defensive capabilities questioned regularly. He was targeted on Monday night in the latest example of teams looking to attack Liverpool down the flanks this term, which Ince pinpointed as a major issue.
"Trent is a world-class player and he’s shown that time and time again," he told BoyleSports. "People sometimes question his defensive ability but Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are Liverpool’s sources of power and Erik ten Hag nullified them really well. He got it spot on.
"You only have to look at Liverpool’s game against Crystal Palace as well to know that, if you time your runs right, teams can get in-behind Jurgen Klopp’s team very easily."
Liverpool's defence has been the cornerstone of their success under Klopp and that really began to be the case once Virgil van Dijk arrived in 2018. The Dutchman has been a key figure, which was underlined by the team's collapse in his absence during the 2020/21 season. This term, however, Van Dijk has made uncharacteristic errors.
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At Old Trafford, he was paired with Joe Gomez, but Ince is adamant that Joel Matip, who is sidelined through injury, is the man who best complements Van Dijk. He claimed: "Virgil Van Djik’s perfect partner in defence is Joel Matip. As a manager you’re always trying to find the best partnership and Van Djik and Matip are just that for Liverpool."
Liverpool's defeat leaves them five points behind rivals Manchester City whilst pacesetters Arsenal are seven points further on. Klopp confessed after the match that his side struggled to deal with United's "counter-attacking threat" and admitted he is concerned with their Liverpool's predicament
He said: "We had to keep chasing the game and that is not what you want to do. It makes it difficult with their counter-attacking threat. The second goal is hard to take, it was offside, but we have to work with it." Klopp added: "I am concerned about our situation, but that is how it is. We prepare for Bournemouth and Newcastle now."
