Alan Shearer has criticised Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool after they only managed a 1-1 draw with Burnley at Anfield on Saturday, singling out Ragnar Klavan and Emre Can for an incident during the game.
The former England striker said that the team’s defending is “laughable” and wondered what Klopp was doing on the training ground.
He added that the mistakes from the Burnley game were the same as the ones in the 3-3 draw with Watford on the opening weekend, and the 5-0 loss to Manchester City.
He went on to say that one thing Klopp is good at is PR and spin, and that according to the Liverpool manager, things have been getting better for the Reds since he joined.
However, Shearer isn’t convinced, despite Klopp guiding them back to the Champions League, and in his column in the Sun, says that they’re no better than they were when Brendan Rodgers was there: “Brilliant going forward but not so clever at the back.”
In fact, Shearer went on to point out that Rodgers boasted a better record than Klopp does at this stage in his Liverpool career.
Shearer claimed that the Liverpool defenders don’t seem to know what they’re doing at the back – in contrast to the Burnley players who were organised and worked together.
“Now take Saturday and let’s look at the Burnley goal.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold was beaten easily in the air to the first ball, which had travelled some 70 yards.
“Ragnar Klavan and Joel Matip then both challenged for it with Burnley’s Chris Wood — but neither got to it and it broke for Scott Arfield to score.
“That was not the worst of it. Late on, even Kop fans lost patience as Klavan and Emre Can both went for the same ball without a Burnley player nearby, conceding a corner.
“From that, Ben Mee was allowed a free header which Matip headed over. And from the next set-piece, Mee had another header saved. Nothing learned.”
OPINION
Shearer isn’t the first pundit who’s pointed out Liverpool’s defensive problems and it’s becoming obvious that they should have strengthened the back four during the summer. Klopp did try to sign Virgil van Dijk, but when that fell through fairly spectacularly, with Liverpool forced to issue an apology over tapping-up allegations, he didn’t seem to have a Plan B. By contrast, Tottenham, who boasted the best defence in the Premier League last season, brought in Davinson Sanchez and Serge Aurier, both of whom have slotted straight into the Tottenham first team and improved them at the back. Liverpool will have to recruit in January now, but by then it could be too late for both the Premier League and the Champions League.