‘What they don’t want to do’ – Wayne Rooney shares Liverpool ‘concern’ after what he spotted
Wayne Rooney has fired fresh criticism at Liverpool after the Reds endured back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Galatasaray.
Arne Slot’s 100 per cent winning record in the Premier League came to an end when Liverpool were beaten 2-1 by Crystal Palace on Saturday, 27 September.
The Anfield giants subsequently failed to bounce back, as they lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday, 30 September.
Liverpool are in the market for a new centre-back, having failed to keep a clean sheet since their 1-0 win over Burnley on 14 September.
Wayne Rooney slams Liverpool for defensive errors
Liverpool were defensively weak in their defeat to Galatasaray, and the Turkish giants capitalised by winning 1-0.
The Reds will have to perform better when they face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday, 4 October.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney show, [3 October] the former Manchester United striker said: “I thought they were really poor (vs Galatasaray). I think a worry for me would be they were losing the game, and even with quite a bit of time still left to go, he (Arne Slot) is just put every attacking player on the pitch and just said ‘Go and figure it out’.
“It could have got a lot worse during the game for Liverpool because of the amount of times they gave the ball away at the back, losing it and getting broken on. Alisson getting injured obviously came from a mistake where they gave the ball away.
“I thought they didn’t look good. Since the start of the season, of course their results have papered over some of the cracks that they’ve had when they haven’t performed well. I think there’s a concern that if they don’t get it together, then teams could catch them up.
“What they don’t want to do is give the likes of Arsenal and Man City a bit of momentum to believe they can go and take that title off them.”
Joao Pedro can heap further misery on Arne Slot
Liverpool will have to beat Chelsea to remain top of the Premier League, as title rivals Arsenal appear likely to win against strugglers West Ham United.
| Joao Pedro Premier League | Stats |
| Appearances | 6 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.50 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.24 |
| Assists | 3 |
To beat Enzo Maresca’s men, though, Slot’s side must defend significantly better than they did in their recent defeats to Galatasaray and Crystal Palace, and even in their successive wins over Atletico Madrid, Everton, and Southampton.
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro has hit strong form since joining the West London outfit from Brighton in the summer transfer window, notching two goals and three assists in six Premier League appearances.
If Liverpool are not at their best against the Blues, Pedro is likely to capitalise on that, while his one-match suspension for his red card in the Champions League only applies to European fixtures.
Meanwhile, a win over Chelsea could give Slot’s men the momentum they need to go on and establish another winning run in the Premier League.