Jamie Carragher slammed Liverpool’s defending against Queens Park Rangers.
Ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher blasted his former side’s defending during the Reds’ 3-2 victory over Queens Park Rangers.
Brendan Rodgers’ side’s defensive struggles have been well documented over the past 14 months and they continue to play a part this season.
Despite signing former Southampton ace Dejan Lovren for a reported £20 million fee during the summer, the Merseysiders still have a habit of dropping too deep and conceding at set pieces.
Watching on from the Sky Sports studio, former defender Carragher was pulling his hair out as events unfolded before him and later blasted Liverpool’s defending when analysing aspects of the game.
“The free-kick they gave away, they gave away on the half-way line. Dejan Lovren didn’t win the header; the ball came in between Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson. No-one was attacking the ball in the box,” he explained.
“That’s normal defending in the Premier League – you’ve got to deal with that 30-40 times in the game and Liverpool were awful at that.
“Liverpool’s defending is a massive problem and it has been for a long time. There was no organisation at the corner – I don’t know who was supposed to be at the near post – and Vargas gets the touch.
“Liverpool must be the worst side in the league at defending set pieces this season when you look at how many goals they’ve conceded. Liverpool have won, ok, but they are still weak defensively.”
| Goals Conceded | Goals Conceded In box | Error Lead To Shot | Error Lead To Goal | Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens Park Rangers | 18 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
| Everton | 16 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| Sunderland | 15 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| Crystal Palace | 14 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Newcastle United | 14 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| Leicester City | 13 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Burnley | 13 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| Hull City | 13 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Liverpool | 12 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| Aston Villa | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Arsenal | 11 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| West Ham United | 11 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 11 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Swansea City | 10 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| Manchester United | 10 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
| Stoke City | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 9 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| Manchester City | 8 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Chelsea | 8 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Southampton | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
As per the table provided by Opta Stats, the Reds’ defensive records and statistics don’t make for pretty reading.
They have conceded 11 goals inside the area from eight Premier League matches this season, five fewer than QPR at the top but eight more than South Coast outfit Southampton.
Errors leading to opportunities have notoriously been one of Liverpool’s biggest problems and their five to date have only been surpassed by Manchester United’s league high of seven.
The difference between the Red Devils and Rodgers’ sside, however, is only one error has cost United a goal whereas the Anfield outfit have been punished of four occasions – only one behind fellow Merseysiders Everton who head the unwanted record.
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