Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane has given a harsh assessment of Liverpool, outlining their biggest problems ahead of their win against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Roy Keane identified Liverpool’s defense as the main problem in a frank analysis before the Reds beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League.
Arne Slott’s side had lost four straight until Wednesday’s game against Frankfurt, but managed to bounce back from a 1-0 deficit to win 5-1 in the Champions League. Former Leeds right-back Rasmus Christiansen gave Frankfurt an early lead, but Liverpool quickly came back and scored three goals before half-time to turn the game around.
Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate all scored to make it 3-1, with Kodi Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai adding further goals in the second half to seal the victory for the Slot Reds. The win was much-needed after Liverpool lost to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray, Chelsea and Manchester United, scoring just three and conceding seven.
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In the latest episode of Overlap, recorded ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Frankfurt, Keane highlighted what he believes are the team’s biggest problems this season.
Keane said: “I think the biggest problem is defence. We’re still going to have a goal threat and they’ve got quality. But defensively… as we said back in the Community Shield at the start of the season, they were giving chances and they were still scoring.”
“Now that that’s gone, they still concede a lot of chances and a lot of goals. That’s the biggest problem. Arsenal attack and defend as a team, but Liverpool are disjointed.”
Ian Wright delivered an even harsher verdict on Liverpool’s struggles, suggesting the players were simply losing out under the manager’s tactics. “I don’t think they understand what the coach wants,” Wright said Wednesday.
“If you look at how they play, it’s win or lose, it’s feast or famine for them. They don’t have any cohesion, none of the players are growing with them. If you look at Ekitike, he started the season well.”
“I would have thought we would have left him there. I know Isak has come in but (Ekitike) is the only player at Liverpool who does that and he has been left out in the last few games (in the Premier League).”
“At the moment, the full-backs aren’t doing it for me, it’s not happening in the midfield, (Ryan) Graven-Birch hasn’t had the same season.
“With Salah, you need to either create space for him or give him the ball where he can go and attack, and he’s not getting either of those things. Giving him the ball in time, giving him space to attack, none of those things are happening. Trent[Alexander-Arnold]is way off in that respect. The players don’t seem to be completely convinced.”
Liverpool are next scheduled to play Brentford on Saturday night. Slott’s team will be aiming for their first win in four Premier League games.
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