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Alan Shearer pinpointed three key concerns Arne Slot must tackle following Liverpool's 4-2 win against Bournemouth.
Anfield was buzzing on Friday night as supporters welcomed Slot and his team back for Premier League duties, though the victory came with several worrying moments. Liverpool began brightly with goals from Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo either side of the interval, before vulnerabilities emerged.
With less than 15 minutes remaining, Liverpool discovered themselves level once more courtesy of an Antoine Semenyo double. The decision to bring on Federico Chiesa for Florian Wirtz with eight minutes left paid dividends for Slot, as the attacker netted his maiden Premier League goal just six minutes after.
Mohamed Salah wrapped up proceedings for his team during added time to claim all three points. While Liverpool worked relentlessly to unlock the stalemate and emerge victorious, Shearer has offered points for consideration to Slot across three specific departments.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football alongside Gary Lineker, the Newcastle United icon said: "I think they look very, very vulnerable defensively on the turnover of possession. Particularly in behind both full-backs, whether that was [Milos] Kerkez or [Jeremie] Frimpong, or whether it was [Andy] Robertson when he brought him on or [Wataru] Endo I think he brought on at right-back."
He added: "They haven't got a full set of their midfielders yet, and this changes slightly because they've got Salah, they've got Ekitike, they've got Cody Gakpo. They've got Florian Wirtz in the sort of 10 role as well, and the two midfielders.
"So essentially I guess they've lost one in midfield which gives them that little bit more protection. They're going to have to solve that. Even in the Community Shield against Palace, there was a vulnerability about them."
Should Shearer's assessment prove accurate, then Slot might need to tackle concerns regarding his first-choice full-backs, considering their forward-thinking approach could expose Liverpool to swift counter-attacks. Additionally, deploying a number 10 like Wirtz rather than three well-rounded central midfielders might create difficulties when combined with defenders playing out of their natural positions, due to insufficient cover during transitions.
It represents a problem that Ryan Gravenberch could remedy upon his return to the squad, given the Dutchman's crucial role in delivering defensive solidity last campaign. The 23-year-old was ruled out of selection against Bournemouth at the weekend due to a one-match ban.
Gravenberch was sent off in Liverpool's final match of the season against Crystal Palace in May, and his suspension has carried over into the new season. Dominik Szoboszlai filled in for him alongside Alexis Mac Allister in the match against Bournemouth, and while the Hungarian performed well, he didn't quite fill the defensive void left by Gravenberch.
Slot has a week to adjust his tactics before Liverpool's next Premier League match, and will be keen to correct his team's mistakes before they head to St James' Park to face Newcastle United on Monday, 25 August. One player they may not need to worry about is Magpies star Alexander Isak.
The Swedish forward was left out of Eddie Howe's squad for their goalless draw with Aston Villa on Saturday due to an ongoing transfer saga involving Liverpool. Although Liverpool's initial offer of $149 million plus add-ons for the 25-year-old was rejected earlier this month, it's believed they could still come back with a better offer before the transfer deadline.
If Liverpool fails to secure Isak before their match against Newcastle, they'll still be well prepared for the challenge thanks to $106M striker Ekitike, who has made a strong impression in his short time at Anfield so far, scoring in the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace as well as the Premier League opener against Bournemouth.
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