Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has identified an area his side must improve.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has revealed what he thinks is a major concern for his team.
The boss has had a chance to reflect on the 3-1 defeat his side suffered at West Ham United last weekend and has suggested that the way the team is conceding goals has to be addressed.
“We have conceded eight goals and the majority of those could have been avoided. But for us as a team, we need to be better. We’re still looking to find our performance level, which apart from Tottenham, we’ve not been at,” said the boss.
Liverpool rank in the Premier League’s top five when it comes to errors leading to goals so far this season, with sides showing a 100% conversion rate when the defence has allowed the opposition shots on goal.
| Error Lead To Goal | Error Lead To Shot | Played | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Everton | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Newcastle United | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 4 | 5 |
Liverpool ‘keeper Simon Mignolet has also come in for some criticism following the weekend defeat at West Ham, especially for the first goal, which saw him chipped from a position where that possibility should have been prevented.
Liverpool’s attack is extremely talented, which suggests that if the Reds can improve on the number of clean sheets they produce, they’ll have a better chance of taking points from tight and difficult games over the rest of the season.
Liverpool are one of several teams only to have kept a single clean sheet so far this season and it’s an area that Rodgers has seemingly identified as to where his side can pick up more points over the course of the season.
| Clean Sheet | Played | |
|---|---|---|
| Everton | 1 | 5 |
| Hull City | 1 | 5 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 5 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 5 |
| Arsenal | 1 | 5 |
The situation hasn’t been helped by the number of changes that Rodgers has had to make to his back four.
Injuries to Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Jon Flanagan have removed three players who were integral to the defence last season. Dejan Lovren has already been used on both sides of central defence and Mamadou Sakho is searching for consistency.
Liverpool need a settled back four and a confident Simon Mignolet. When those things are in place, the attack can be released to do what they do best and cause chaos.
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