Defensive concerns must be addressed quickly by Champions League-chasing Liverpool

Liverpool seem to be surrounded by a lot of negativity at present—a heavy defeat to Real Madrid, Mario Balotelli, poor performances, Mario Balotelli, etc—but the way other teams have started the season means that with things taken at face value they are actually in a pretty good place, all told.

The back page of Liverpool Echo 

The Reds are still in the Capital One Cup, are outside the Premier League top four only on goal difference and have the same number of points in the Champions League as the second-placed team, Ludogorets, knowing that wins over that side and Basel will take them through to the knock-out phase.

The defence, though, continues to pose a huge number of problems for Brendan Rodgers’ team, who have shipped in seven goal in their last four league games, as well as the three in midweek to Real Madrid. Just one clean sheet this season points to where the obvious frailties are, and as Rodgers himself alluded to after the Real game, too many of the goals are simply down to a lack of organisation, determination and concentration.

Set pieces have become a regular, nightmarish passage of rite for fans to endure each game, with neither goalkeeper nor defenders looking anything approaching commanding. While Mamadou Sakho sulks from the sidelines, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel continue their kamikaze partnership ahead of the excellent shot-stopper, but dreadful decision-maker, Simon Mignolet. With the pressing of last season absent in attack and midfield, the back line continues to come under more pressure than ever, making the team as a whole look vulnerable.

It’s not something which has gone unnoticed by their Premier League rivals.

Sam Allardyce, before West Ham’s win over Liverpool, told his side to make sure they started fast and got plenty of balls into the penalty area. Real Madrid, QPR and Aston Villa have all scored from set pieces, too, in recent weeks.

This weekend, the Reds face Hull City at Anfield, a side who average around 20 crosses per game (per whoscored). What’s the bet they attempt to increase that for this particular game? Until Liverpool rectify their defensive problems, teams will keep targeting them as easy prey in this way. Last season, the Reds overcame this with exceptional attacking, something which is also missing so far in 14-15.

Rodgers hasn’t yet found the right blend or system to integrate his new signings and keep the emphasis on attack, but the run of games now faced by Liverpool means that they have a big chance to make themselves a firm favourite for a top-four spot again—if they can rectify this ailing defence of theirs.

Of their next seven league games, only Chelsea at Anfield should present any real challenge for a team with such lofty aspirations. Hull and Stoke have been inconsistent; Newcastle, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Sunderland are all down near the foot of the table. It really is a stretch of matches where Rodgers and co should be looking to take as close to 15 points or so as possible. Coupled with Arsenal having won only twice this season and Spurs’ attacking issues, it could easily set a points gap up between themselves and other top-four rivals before the approach of the Christmas fixture pileup.

To achieve that, though, Liverpool’s focus must be hell-bent on cutting out the individual and collective errors of judgement which have blighted the early part of the season, especially in their own penalty box.

It all starts again with Hull on Saturday, where a win—however it is earned, just like against QPR—will almost certainly see the Reds make a top-four place their own, a quarter of the way through the season. Given the negativity, the problems to be addressed and lack of impact from new signings, that’s quite an achievement for Liverpool—and can give plenty more reasons for optimism over the coming weeks.