Liverpool’s loss to Manchester City marks the second consecutive time the Premier League champions have gone into the international break due to a defeat. The Reds lost 3-0 at the Etihad, their fifth defeat in six league games. Despite showing signs of improvement with a 2-0 win against Aston Villa and a 1-0 win against Real Madrid, morale in Manchester plummeted to its lowest level.
Having outperformed their opponents overall, the defeat left Liverpool in 8th place, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal after just 11 games. With the third international break of the season underway, Arne Slott is once again under huge pressure to lead the Reds out of their current crisis, but their title defense has ended with a disappointing result.
Express Sport brings you the latest news from Anfield. The Dutch manager has faced criticism for apparently not trusting his summer signing, while one Liverpool star previously believed his future was away from Merseyside.
Milos Kerkes Verdict
The first few months have been difficult for most of Liverpool’s summer signings, with Milos Kerkes in particular struggling to adapt to life at Anfield. Despite being one of the Premier League’s top full-backs for Bournemouth last season, the Hungarian has yet to reproduce the form that persuaded Liverpool to spend £40m to sign him.
The 22-year-old started the season as Slott’s preferred left-back ahead of Andy Robertson, but the experienced Scot regained his spot and played in the final three games in all competitions.
Chris Sutton believes he has lost support from his manager after being demoted to the substitute bench. The former Chelsea forward told the BBC’s Monday Night Club podcast: “Arne Slott had tipped his hat to Kerkez at the beginning of the season, but Robertson was out in the cold and I think suddenly he lost faith in Kerkez.”
Conor Bradley’s claim
Conor Bradley has had a lackluster start to the season, but the Northern Ireland international has recently rediscovered his best form with standout performances against Aston Villa and Real Madrid. The 22-year-old had been tipped as the Reds’ future successor to Trent Alexander-Arnold, but the signing of Jeremy Frimpong has thrown some uncertainty into that possibility.
It was in May that Bradley signed a new four-year contract after establishing himself as a key team player under Jurgen Klopp and now Slott. It was during the 2023/24 season that he enjoyed his breakthrough moment, but before that he faced serious doubts about his future at Anfield during a spell at Bolton Wanderers.
In an interview last year, he said: “They told me when I was out on loan that they wouldn’t forget me, but at the time I didn’t really believe it. I thought, ‘Loan, it’s like I’m done here.'” But you have to keep trying.
“I played about 50 games for Bolton and that was the best thing that happened to me at the time. It turned me into who I am now. It turned me from a boy to a man. I’m very grateful to Bolton for the opportunity they gave me and played so many games there. I’m ready to come back to Liverpool and give my best.”
Despite having a tough night against Jeremy Doku at the Etihad Stadium, Bradley still managed to put in an impressive performance. His efforts also caught the attention of Manchester City manager Josep Guardiola.
Guardiola said: “I was really, really impressed with Connor at right-back. Pep Lijnders said he could do everything. We know how good he was against Vinicius against Madrid. And Jeremy[Doc]was aggressive with and without the ball. He had a great game.”
