The Reds currently hold a comfortable seven-point lead at the top of the table, aiming for their 20th league title and first since 2020. ..Continue Reading
Liverpool watched as title rivals Arsenal dropped points at Brighton on Saturday, but they couldn’t fully capitalize, as they also drew with struggling Manchester United.
Arne Slot’s team appeared poised to extend their lead further after bouncing back from Lisandro Martinez’s excellent opener to go 2-1 ahead through Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah.
However, United, who had been on a losing streak before their trip to Anfield, managed to earn a valuable point thanks to Amad Diallo’s 80th-minute equalizer.
The Red Devils almost clinched a dramatic victory, but Harry Maguire missed a golden opportunity in the final moments.
Carragher feels that the exciting 2-2 draw highlighted that while Liverpool has surged to the top of the table, their defense is not the strongest in the league.
The former England defender believes Liverpool’s vulnerabilities at the full-back positions could jeopardize their title bid.
Carragher remarked that Andy Robertson is ‘hanging on for dear life’ and criticized Trent Alexander-Arnold’s display against Manchester United, suggesting the Real Madrid transfer rumors affected his performance.
The La Liga giants are reportedly considering a second bid for Alexander-Arnold after Liverpool rejected their initial offer over the weekend.
‘People always have a go at Trent defensively and that won’t change but if the speculation does affect him, which it looked like it did today, Liverpool will have to change it,’ Carragher said on Gary Neville’s Sky Sports podcast.
‘Arsenal are better than Liverpool defensively, Liverpool are better going forward, they create more chances and score more goals.
‘But Liverpool in the full bank areas… Andy Robertson is hanging on for dear life, he’s been a legend for this club but it feels like he’s involved in a lot of goals at the minute, he just feels half a yard short.
‘If Trent is having problems as well on the other side that puts an awful lot of pressure on the middle two.
‘Virgil van Dijk saved Liverpool a lot today, he’s probably having to work too hard, and that’s the one thing that can stop Liverpool from winning the league, the full-back areas.’
Given Carragher’s concerns, he hopes his former team use the January transfer window to improve Slot’s defensive options.
‘Liverpool looked really strong defensively earlier in the season but they’re starting to leak goals and that’s my worry with the team and the full-back areas,’ he added.
‘It doesn’t sound like they will but I still feel Liverpool need to buy a defender in January.’
