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Jamie Carragher has expanded on his thoughts regarding Liverpool at the start of the season after describing Arne Slot's stars as "playing basketball" after their midweek loss in the Champions League.
The Reds have required late winners in the matches where they have got over the line so far this season. This week, Liverpool lost to both Crystal Palace and Galatasaray, with familiar problems causing issues.
"Part of me is worried by how Liverpool have played so far," Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column. "Another part of me is excited and reassured. It is exciting because I am looking forward to seeing how Slot goes about making the necessary adjustments and improvements.
"It is reassuring because creating and maintaining a winning team has to require much more than signing huge cheques, otherwise the chasing pack might as well give up.
"You need to build connections, and dedicate hours on the training pitch to ensure everyone knows what is demanded with and without the ball so the balance is right.
"Liverpool spent nearly £450 million (c. $600 million) on new players over the summer, regardless of how much they recouped via sales. For the greater good of English football, it would have been disheartening had that level of investment led to instant brilliance.
"Just like Chelsea have discovered after spending £1.5 billion ($2.0 billion) over the past three years, there should be no shortcuts to success.
"As a fan, you always want to see your own side beating the opposition, improving season after season, and competing for the biggest stars on the market."
While Liverpool spent big in the summer, bringing in the likes of Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, it was always going to take time for those stars to get up to speed and then to gel together.
The question for Slot is whether he can play in the way his side has set up so far when everyone is fully fit and used to playing alongside one another, or whether he might need to make some tactical tweaks.
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"As a lover of the game, football is never better than when those at the very top are challenged to find the tactical solutions to get more from high-class players," Carragher continued.
"That is how I felt when seeing Manchester City struggle under Pep Guardiola a year ago, wondering how he would go about dealing with the kind of issues “mortal” coaches confront every week such as injuries, loss of form and creating an environment where new recruits can acclimatise.
"Now Slot has to remodel his starting XI with seven new first-team players, of which only Hugo Ekitike has hit the ground running."
Liverpool.com says: Things have not gone smoothly for the Reds up to this point in the season, but they are still top of the table. When things start to click — and as Carragher says, you would back Slot to find a fix — it should look really exciting.
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