2 weeks ago
9
Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has proposed a bold fix for the Reds' defensive struggles: deploying Conor Bradley at left-back.
The Merseyside club has suffered four consecutive defeats across all competitions for the first time since November 2014, with manager Arne Slot watching his newly assembled and costly squad fail to gel following a summer of significant investment. The most recent loss was a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League at Anfield.
Milos Kerkez, one of the high-profile summer arrivals, has faced intense scrutiny over his displays at left-back, prompting former Reds defender Nicol - a four-time league champion and 1984 European Cup winner with the club - to call for a reshuffle, though he wouldn't opt for Andy Robertson.
"As much as the actual team as a whole is a bit of a shambles, there's no question that the back four totally is," Nicol told ESPNFC.
"And one of the biggest problems is trust. They can't trust each other.
"Kerkez for me is affecting the rest of them way, way too much, and I say that both from a defensive point of view and from a position of possession as well.
"He's not contributing either side.
"So I absolutely 100 percent would pull Bradley over to left-back because I don't think Andy Robertson right now is ready to start. I would put Bradley there, and I would tell Bradley that your first job and foremost job is to a) defend, and back up (Cody) Gakpo on the left-hand side.
"I don't need you running past Gakpo, I don't need you making runs in the middle of the park. I need you to be solid. And I'm bringing (Jeremie) Frimpong in (on the right) because Frimpong would give everybody a lift.
"He has an energy that's infectious. Right now, Liverpool need a spark to get everybody going, and I think Frimpong would do that. "
Nicol also insisted he would persist with Mohamed Salah in the starting XI for the time being, despite numerous suggestions to drop him, including from Reds legend Jamie Carragher.
"I think Salah is the big question," continued Nicol. "There's no doubt (Hugo) Ekitike should have started against United. I would have him starting.
"Gakpo has to start.
"And Salah, right now, just has about enough money in the bank that he deserves a couple of games, and if he produces what he's given Liverpool from the first game of the season until now, then he has to sit (on the bench)."
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