6 days ago
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Punctuated by a 5-1 win in the Champions League against Eintracht Frankfurt, Liverpool has now lost four games in a row in the Premier League, against Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Brentford.
Next up? A resurgent Aston Villa and a trip to the Etihad Stadium to play Manchester City. Things are not likely to get any easier, so Arne Slot's side is going to have to improve quickly.
At this point, it is almost inevitable that the Liverpool boss will have to make changes. What should they look like, though, and how can Slot find a fix for some of the issues that his players are currently facing? Liverpool.com has taken a look.
Bring Andy Robertson back in
Though the criticism of Milos Kerkez has bordered on the ridiculous in the early parts of the season — Gary Neville, for instance, claimed he was playing like a 10-year-old — taking him out of the team for a spell might not be the worst idea.
The Hungary defender has a huge amount of talent and in time, that will shine through. At this current time, however, it looks like there is a little too much going on in his head.
Andy Robertson is not perfect — there is a reason that Liverpool decided to spend $54 million (£40 million) on Kerkez in the summer — but right now, he might be the best option.
In the short term, it is hard to argue against Robertson being an obvious pick to make an instant improvement. In the long term, Kerkez remains the player that will hold down the position for years to come.
Stay strong on Dominik Szoboszlai
With Ryan Gravenberch's form having tailed off and the Dutchman having now picked up an injury, Dominik Szoboszlai has emerged as the clear winner in the race to be Liverpool's best player in the early weeks of the campaign.
Szoboszlai has been exceptional — almost the only Liverpool player to have a genuinely high level of energy and intensity — but he has also played multiple roles.
As much as Szoboszlai has probably been the best option at right-back — and Jeremie Frimpong is set to be sidelined for a spell with a hamstring issue — he simply has to remain in midfield.
In times of struggle, you play your best players in their best roles. Szoboszlai needs to be the man that the midfield is built around, rather than someone who can fill in elsewhere.
Get Alexander Isak back fit
For all that Liverpool has been terrible defensively in several games this season — not least against Brentford at the weekend — it hasn't helped that the attack has faltered too. Mohamed Salah scored at the Gtech Community Stadium, but he has been out of form, and Hugo Ekitike, though he has played well, has not always been in the team.
Right now, it isn't 100 percent clear how bad the injury that Alexander Isak picked up is, and even before that, he didn't look match fit. At his best, though, he has enough firepower to paper over plenty of cracks.
If Slot can somehow get Isak firing, that will help Florian Wirtz. If those two are playing well, there will be a lot less pressure on Salah. Indeed, in whichever order the forwards start to score goals regularly again, that should have a knock-on impact for the rest.
From back to front, Liverpool needs to improve. With such individual quality all over the field, though, it is definitely possible.
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