Gary Neville suggests what Liverpool must do with their defence, and he might be on to something

Liverpool have simply been letting in far too many goals at the start of this season.

The Reds have problems, lots of them too, but the biggest issue seems to stem from the defence.

They have conceded 14 goals in just nine Premier League games, with this one of the factors as to why they have lost four in a row in the league.

Arne Slot has tried his best at making changes to the backline, but nothing has seemed to work as of yet, indicating there is not much else he can do.

Gary Neville has suggested one last roll of the dice, though, and what he has put forward might be something that Liverpool need to try in their next game.

Liverpool need to change to a narrower back four

The Reds’ backline has seen a big change over the summer, with both full-backs being replaced, although not to very good effect.

Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have both struggled to get up to speed, while Conor Bradley is also still yet to find his best form.

All three of them are very attacking, hence why they have had problems defensively, with their forward-thinking mindset one of the reasons why the defence is often exposed.

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To counteract this, Neville has suggested that Liverpool move to a more defensive back four, and it might just work

“They are all at it. It’s like the wheels are coming off and they look all over the place, but I still have faith in them, though, as Slot is a great manager,” he said on NBC Sports.

“A couple of weeks ago I said to Jamie Carragher that why not play Gomez at right-back, Robertson at left-back, play Konate and van Dijk and play a real narrow back four. Just go back to basics.

“I think they are now going to have to do something like that as they can’t keep leaving the gaps that they are.”

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The right-back area has been, arguably, the biggest issue so far, and with Joe Gomez being ever-reliable when he is fit, this seems like the best option right now to shore things up at the back.

Andy Robertson simply must start

So far this season, Kerkez has started every Premier League game, although his performances would suggest that this probably should not have been the case.

The Hungarian has been rash and poor defensively, while also not offering anything in attack, leaving fans wondering what he is good at.

Of course, he is still very young and he just needs some time to adjust, but with someone like Andy Robertson waiting in the wings, he surely has to start more games from now on.

When he has been given the opportunity, he has always done a decent job, with his outing in Frankfurt proving that he still has plenty to give.

The balance of the team also felt much better when it was the Scotsman who was on the pitch, indicating that this is the way Liverpool need to play going forward.

Robertson at left-back and Gomez at right-back may seem a backwards step given the money the Reds have spent in upgrading these areas, but sometimes taking this step back may actually propel them ahead.

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