Alan Shearer shared he thought the clash with Arsenal would be a tough test for Liverpool on Saturday.
The former Premier League forward shared that he had noticed some worrying signs about the Reds’ defence in their first two league games of the season, but shared he still always backed Jurgen Klopp’s side to grab a goal.
“Absolutely it will be a tough test for them, Liverpool have looked good going forward, as we expect as due to the forwards they have, they will always score goals and they have continued where they left off last year,” said Shearer on Coral’s Twitter account.
“As four against Norwich, two against Southampton and it could have been more, but there have been one or two worrying signs defensively.
“They conceded against Norwich and could have conceded more, they conceded against Southampton, should have conceded more and they got away with the three points at Southampton, Danny Ings missed an absolute sitter in the last minutes, which was most unusual for Liverpool.
“Yes you could look at tiredness because of Istanbul, extra time etc, but they’ll be working on one or two things.”
Shearer was then asked whether Liverpool were missing first-choice goalkeeper Alisson and the pundit shared he thought they were as the Brazilian alongside the magnificent Virgil van Dijk previously shored up the Reds’ defence.
“Well he’s a very very good goalkeeper which is why they paid all that money for him as he helped shored up that defence alongside the magnificent Van Dijk, but they’ve had one or two issues,” added Shearer.
“They’re trying to play a higher line and they’re trying to come to terms with it, but there’s no doubt about it, they miss his experience and presence in goal.”
OPINION
Liverpool haven’t registered a clean sheet this season in the Premier League, and don’t look as solid at the back compared to their 2018/19 campaign. Last season the Reds ended their league campaign having kept 21 clean sheets in 38 outings and Alisson ended up winning the Golden Glove award as a result (Source: Premier League). While you could argue that Liverpool losing Alisson to injury in their win against Norwich is what has caused the Reds to be weaker at the back, Shearer clearly thinks there is more to it. The pundit ends up pointing out that he thinks Liverpool playing a higher line then before is a factor in the Reds being more shaky at the back, and if that’s the case, fans should be braced to see Liverpool’s defensive frailties remain intact for at least a few more games. It’s understandable that players need time to adjust to a new system, and it might just be the first two games have simply highlighted teething problems. However, given the Reds could be set to face for the formidable Pierre-Emmerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette and Nicolas Pepe when they take on Arsenal on Saturday, that front three will be a true test for them later tonight.
