Concerns Over Liverpool’s Defensive Woes…
Jamie Carragher has his alarm bells ringing, louder than a marching band at full blast, over Liverpool’s defense following their Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace. Despite the Reds showing off their new toys on the field—Hugo Ekitike and Jeremie Frimpong scored like they were auditioning for a goal-scoring reality show—they lost 3-2 in a penalty shootout after a draw. Their defense seemed flimsier than a paper mache fortress, continuing a pre-season trend of forgetting that stopping goals is also part of football. ‘LFC looking great going forward but susceptible defensively,’ Carragher tweeted as he cleanly summed up the worries.
Virgil van Dijk looked like he had mistakenly put on his ‘backwards day’ jersey, giving away a penalty and allowing room for the opponent’s equalizer. Carragher’s nerves might need a full-time masseur if the defense doesn’t improve before the Premier League season opener against Bournemouth. Even coach Arne Slot was waving the defensive caution flag like a referee at a cautionary NASCAR race, emphasizing improvement before their title defense. Liverpool fans can only hope the defense tightens up faster than a tightly wound spring before the big kickoff on Friday.
