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Paul Merson says Liverpool "underestimated" how much it would miss Trent Alexander-Arnold when the England international moved to Real Madrid at the start of the summer.
Arne Slot's side has been in mixed form at the start of the new campaign but did win against Aston Villa on Saturday. Prior to that, it was on a run of six losses in seven games.
Integrating new players, after a summer of big spending, has proven to be a longer process than some might like. And Merson, speaking before the win at Anfield this weekend, thinks the post-Alexander-Arnold plan is part of the explanation.
"I didn't think Liverpool started the season well," the pundit said on Sky Sports. "They won games but when you look back now: last minute vs Burnley, last kick of the game vs Newcastle, two late goals against Bournemouth...
"I actually thought Arsenal were so comfortable at Anfield. You could take eight points away and it wouldn't be that harsh.
"I think Slot thought he was going to blow teams away with Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, and not thought about how much Liverpool would miss Trent Alexander-Arnold.
"You have to be good defensively. Liverpool underestimated Trent leaving. It is a domino effect. Now all of a sudden, teams are able to double up on Mohamed Salah."
Salah scored against Aston Villa when Emi Martinez passed him the ball inside the penalty area. Ryan Gravenberch, another good performer on the night, doubled Liverpool's lead in the second half.
That victory sets up another two big games this week: Real Madrid and then Manchester City. Alexander-Arnold could make a playing return to Anfield on Tuesday.
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"Whatever way I’m received, is the decision of the fans. I’ll always love the club, I’ll always be a fan of the club," he told Amazon Prime ahead of the game.
"I’ll always be thankful for the opportunities and the things we achieved together. They’ll live with me forever.
"No matter what, my feeling won’t change towards Liverpool. I’ve got memories there that will last me a lifetime, and no matter how I'm received, that won’t change."
Liverpool.com says: Alexander-Arnold was always going to be a miss but what were the Reds meant to do? Once it became clear he would be leaving, switching to alternative creative players was the only way forward.
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