Alan Shearer critical of Liverpool’s defensive performance

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Liverpool are yet to record their first clean sheet of the season in the Premier League.

Alan Shearer has stated that Liverpool have started to look ‘pretty dodgy’ defensively following their 2-1 win at Southampton over the weekend.

The Reds have picked up maximum points from their opening two Premier League matches, but with it, they are yet to secure their first clean sheet of the season.

During the previous campaign, the Reds had the best defensive partnership in the league, but Adrian’s mistake over the weekend, which led to Danny Ings scoring what proved to be a consolation for the Saints, meant that they have to wait for that first clean sheet of the season.

Speaking to Match of the Day on BBC One (17/08/2019 at 11:15 pm), Shearer was critical of Liverpool’s defending at St Mary’s as he pointed towards the number of chances they conceded during the game.

“They have looked pretty dodgy defensively,” Shearer told Match of the Day. “He [Che Adams] gets in between Matip and Alexander-Arnold and that [headed effort] should be in the back of the net. He has to score there.

“Defensively from a corner, the keeper should perhaps come for it, but Yoshida gets above Van Dijk and then a decent save in the end. Keeper gets away with [trying to pass out from the back] in the first half. Southampton did well and creating chances and pressing, working and closing them down. But he [Adrian] didn’t get away with it in the second half. Poor mistake.

“In the end, they were fortunate to walk away with three points. For all what they were good for going forward Liverpool, they did poor at the back, again. They conceded 14 shots last season, and that only happened once last season.”

Against Southampton, Klopp opted to start the defensive partnership that worked wonders for him last season – Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip.

But the duo had backup keeper Adrian behind them, who did look uncomfortable when trying to pass the ball out from the back, as his mistake in the second half resulted in Ings scoring.