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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Carl Markham

Roy Keane: Liverpool are in crisis and their defence is all over the place

Liverpool’s struggles continued with defeat to Manchester City (Nick Potts/PA) - (PA Wire)

Roy Keane believes Liverpool are out of the title race and in crisis after the defending champions lost in the Premier League for a fifth time with the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City.

Those five defeats have come in their last six league matches and have left Arne Slot’s side in eighth, eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool have lost four away games in succession for the first time in 13 years and have conceded 17 goals in their 11 league matches.

“At this moment in time you can’t be considering Liverpool for the Premier League title; that’s five losses now,” former Manchester United captain Keane told Sky Sports.

“I think it is crisis time for Liverpool, to lose seven in 10 with five league losses this season, it has to be a crisis for a team like Liverpool.

“Defensively they are all over the place. The full-backs are a huge problem, the centre-half (Ibrahima Konate) looks a nervous wreck.

“You watch players dangling their legs, it’s not what champions do. Put your body on the line.

“If you are not at it as a team and are a little bit off get the basics right, stopping crosses and being difficult to play against.

Erling Haaland scores Manchester City’s opener (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

“From Liverpool’s point of view, how badly to they want it?”

Liverpool’s £100million summer signing Florian Wirtz has come under scrutiny for his form since joining from Bayer Leverkusen and despite impressing in the midweek Champions League win over Real Madrid he struggled again.

Former City defender Micah Richards feels the playmaker has created an unwanted issue for Slot.

“Today we didn’t see Wirtz again and that becomes a problem for the manager,” he said.

“If you are bought for that amount of money, regardless from what league you are coming from, you should be showing more than he is showing now. You get bought for that money to show up in big games.”

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