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Alan Pardew has voiced his concerns over Liverpool's recent defensive struggles, suggesting that two of the Reds' players 'look like they've had a row'. The former Newcastle United manager's comments come in the wake of Arne Slot's side suffering a 3-2 defeat at Brentford on Saturday - their fifth loss in six matches.
The reigning champions have seen their form take a nosedive, losing four consecutive Premier League games and slipping to seventh place in the table. This downturn comes after a series of unfavourable results in the latest round of fixtures.
Liverpool now finds itself seven points adrift of league leaders Arsenal, who secured its own victory over Crystal Palace.
Alarmingly, the Reds have conceded a whopping 21 goals in their 14 matches this season, with the Brentford defeat marking the eighth time they've let in two or more goals.
Late goals have been a particular thorn in Liverpool's side, having conceded after the 75th minute in eight of their games. These late concessions have proven decisive in their losses against Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Manchester United during their current losing streak.
However, early goals have also been an issue, with Liverpool conceding within the first 15 minutes in each of their last four Premier League defeats. Their Merseyside derby victory over Everton was the last time they managed to take the lead in an English top-flight match.
The circumstances haven't been aided by continual changes to his defensive setup due to injuries, coupled with a complete transformation at full-back and in goal behind Alisson Becker during the summer.
Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Conor Bradley and Giorgi Mamardashvili have all come under fire at different stages throughout Liverpool's recent struggles, with Trent Alexander-Arnold routinely facing similar criticism during his own Reds career before his Anfield exit.
While Pardew recognises that Kerkez has struggled since his arrival from AFC Bournemouth, he has instead pointed the finger at Konate and Van Dijk for Liverpool's ongoing defensive woes.
"Konate in the middle of the [back four] and Van Dijk - they genuinely look like they've had a row over something," Pardew said on talkSPORT. "I don't know, perhaps he's nicking Van Dijk's meal at the training ground!
"There seems to be a lack of kind of looking after [each other]. The one thing about center-backs is they look after their full-back, and they look after each other - that is the key to a back four.
"So, the left-side centre-half looks after the left-back, but he also looks after his fellow center-half. You have to protect [them] - that's your area. And neither of them are doing that job. So, therefore, that is a massive problem for Liverpool.
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"Obviously the 'keeper's injured, and they've got this young keeper in - I wouldn't say he's been poor, but it's just a different character. Bradley has always been in and out of the Liverpool team, and they're not regular.
"You've got Kerkez, who really is struggling in that Liverpool shirt. I don't care how you dress it up - he's come from Bournemouth where he had an outstanding season, mainly through his attacking play, I have to say. He's been found out a little bit defensively, and I thought he struggled again the other night.
"There's a lot of weaknesses defensively when you actually analyse it. And I think Arne really is searching, particularly at the back and in that central area of stability... This is their problem - it's like an unfamiliarity."
Liverpool's difficulties extend beyond the current campaign. Following their Champions League elimination by Paris Saint-Germain last March, the Reds have managed just 12 victories from 25 matches, suffering 11 defeats and recording only four clean sheets.
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