Liverpool urged to copy Chelsea transfer with Arne Slot ace 'massively struggling'

Liverpool might be having a different season if it had gotten a deal over the line for Marc Guehi over the summer — and it now needs to replicate a transfer move made by Chelsea.

That is the view of the former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock, who says there is no easy fix for Arne Slot. After a dismal home defeat against Nottingham Forest, the Reds will look to shore things up with games against PSV and West Ham United this week.

"It's a bit of both," Warnock exclusively told Liverpool.com when asked if the defensive issues are individual or collective. "It's about how you set up as a team. Last year, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch played a bit deeper and sat in front of the back four.

"Also, Trent Alexander-Arnold often played in midfield, which gave them an overload. If he is sat in there alongside Gravenberch, it then allows Mac Allister to go up alongside Dominik Szoboszlai, which gives you a box four in midfield.

"We underestimate how important that box was, and Ibrahima Konate is massively struggling, whether that is form and consistency, or whether he is thinking about what's next and his contract situation.

"He needs taking out of the team on form, but you can say that about a lot of players. Mac Allister and Gravenberch have not his the same heights. They're suffering as a team and as individuals as well."

On deadline day, Liverpool almost sealed a move for Guehi before Crystal Palace pulled the plug after it failed to source a replacement center-back. He has since started the new campaign well under Oliver Glasner.

"I think it would have made a difference," Warnock said. "It would have changed a lot. Slot could have changed his formation to a three at the back at times if he wanted to.

"It certainly would have pushed Konate and made life more difficult for him. At the moment, whether he plays well or not, he is playing the next game.

"That must be hugely frustrating for Joe Gomez, who obviously doesn't have the trust of the manager. He said the other day, games every three days, he is just not capable.

"Where does the pressure come from for Konate? You need other players through the door and that is why you refresh your squad. It certainly would have helped if Guehi had come."

There are dilemmas to solve at full-back, too, for Liverpool. Summer signing Milos Kerkez, who was brought in from Bournemouth for a fee of around $52 million (£40 million), has started slowly, but has only just turned 22.

"I think Andy Robertson should be playing at the moment," Warnock said. "There is an inevitability that at some point Kerkez will be the heir to the throne, but he hasn't shown enough.

"He is understanding how difficult life is at Liverpool. You can't lose a game at Liverpool. When you are competing with Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea, you have to be flawless every single week.

"He is trying to impress too much and he is playing with a stiffness, which is hard to explain. When you're so desperate to do well, you play a little bit rigid and you are not as relaxed.

"He is questioning every decision he makes. Against Nottingham Forest, he kept on making underlapping runs but what Cody Gakpo wants to do is come inside.

"You've got to overlap him or sit back and let him do his thing. He has to get that understanding with his winger.

"I think Robertson has to get four or five games where he can show what he is capable of, but maybe the manager thinks at his age and with the number of games he has played, it has taken its toll a little bit and he needs a rest more often than in the past."

On the opposite side of the defense, there is a conundrum brewing too. But which of the options will become the number one choice in the long-term, when both return to fitness?

"Conor Bradley, 100 per cent," Warnock, speaking on behalf of WhichBookie, continued. "Jeremie Frimpong is not a right-back. He is a utility player who has been imported to play a number of positions when players are injured.

"My big thing at the moment with Conor is that he isn't robust enough. He has extra work to do off the pitch, whether that is with the sports science department, eating the right foods, making sure his body is stronger.

"We saw against Vinicius Jr, he is an outstanding right-back. He is phenomenal defensively and going forward, but he isn't reliable at the moment in terms of being available. That is the biggest concern.

"If it was me in the transfer window, I would be going and buying a right-back who is durable, so you can drip-feed Bradley into the team. He is capable, but he always breaks down.

"Chelsea were the same with Reece James. They went and bought Malo Gusto and got a reliable replacement. I think that's what Liverpool need to do, because Frimpong has broken down a couple of times already himself."