Like Arsenal did with Keown do Liverpool need a defensive coach?

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Just as Arsenal did with Martin Keown in 2005/06, should Liverpool consider appointing a specific defensive coach?

Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke reacts to a missed chance during the English League Cup third round football match against Leicester City.

Jurgen Klopp says he felt “really sick” following Liverpool’s 2-0 Carabao Cup defeat to Leicester City as poor defending once again cost his team.

It is an all too familiar story for the Merseyside outfit, who have now failed to win their last four matches in all competitions as the Foxes scored from two set pieces.

Islam Slimani of Leicester City celebrates scoring his side’s second goal with Shinji Okazaki during the Carabao Cup Third Round match against Liverpool.

“We should have scored three but as long as you leave games open, you have to defend. We always have to defend these situations better,” Klopp was quoted by the Guardian.

“That we concede like this, that makes me really, really sick.”

Jurgen Klopp, manager of Liverpool, reacts during the Premier League match against Burnley.

It is a frustrating situation for Reds fans as despite Klopp being a likable manager and producing some brilliant attacking displays, the defensive frailties have been present since the German first took charge in October 2015 – and it doesn’t look set to change anytime soon.

There is a school of thought that the 50-year-old simply cannot coach defending. All too often his side are caught out from set pieces, or against teams that play a direct style and the nerves seem to creep in almost immediately.

It is a similar story at Arsenal and yet back in 2005/06 they addressed it with one simple solution – the appointment of a specific defensive coach. That season former Gunners centre-back Martin Keown took charge of things at the back and they conceded 31 Premier League goals, which in 2016/17 would only have been bettered by Tottenham Hotspur’s 28. They also let just two in on their run to the Champions League final, which included two legs against Real Madrid and Juventus.

For reasons only fully known to Arsene Wenger, Keown only lasted one campaign in the role, but with so many ex-defenders available to offer their expertise perhaps Klopp should consider relinquishing some of the control to try and solve a problem that is becoming a frustratingly common occurrence.