Jason McAteer has claimed that clean sheets are starting to become a real problem for Liverpool this season.
The former Reds’ midfielder admitted he has been surprised by the fact that their defence has been a downside of their performances given how strong they were at the back last season.
McAteer did reveal that him picking out this potential problem was him nit-picking, but that Liverpool have been conceding sloppy goals from letting opposition sides have chances from silly mistakes.
“Clean sheets have been a problem,” he told Brighton’s official website.
“The foundation of a good performance is a clean sheet and we were fantastic at that last season, limiting teams’ opportunities. Partly this time round we have been conceding sloppy goals and making silly mistakes.”
Despite only keeping two clean sheets this season, Jurgen Klopp’s men are still unbeaten and sit at the top of the table with an eight-point gap.
OPINION
It is obviously a clear problem that Liverpool have at this moment in time, but Klopp will not mind as long as his side are winning games and maintaining their gap at the top. Last season, the Reds didn’t have to deal with many injuries in their side never mind just their defence. Compare that to this season and you can see where the problem is for Klopp. Joel Matip has been missing since the draw against Manchester United, and Andrew Robertson has been nursing an ankle problem for quite some time with little rest as well. One clean sheet is an area that will need to be addressed as the season goes on, but with Manchester City also struggling for options at the back, it hasn’t been highlighted as much as it has been for Pep Guardiola’s side. McAteer is right to single out this as a potential problem for Liverpool, but they will be confident they can turn it around once they have a full-strength side to call upon.
