Liverpool concede six goals in two preseason games, defensive errors continue to plague Reds

Jürgen Klopp's defence continues to crack despite attack's steady stream of goals

Liverpool sank to a 4-4 draw against German second-division club Greuther Fürth on Monday afternoon in a behind-closed-doors friendly. Played at Greuther’s Sportpark Ronhof in front of empty stands, supporters had the opportunity to watch the action live on Liverpool’s dedicated channel and app.  What supporters witnessed was another strong attacking display offset by a further poor defensive performance.  

Just five days ago, Liverpool came from behind to defeat Germany’s Karlsruher 4-2 to kick off the preseason. Like Greuther Fürth, Karlsruher are a 2. Bundesliga club preparing for a long hard season in Germany. And like Greuther Fürth, Karlsruher got the best of Liverpool’s defence multiple times.  

The 4-2 win disguised Liverpool’s poor defensive display. The Reds trailed 2-1 after 50 minutes before Cody Gakpo levelled the score at two goals apiece on 69 minutes. The match was headed for a 2-2 draw until Diogo Jota scored twice in second-half stoppage time.   

On Monday, there were no late heroics from Jota. Instead, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez had Liverpool up 3-1 by the 60th minute. Diaz opened the scoring and Nunez struck twice in the span of nine minutes to put Liverpool up two goals. But the defence crumbled from there.   

Poor Joel Matip, a Liverpool cult figure and player I considered Virgil van Dijk’s best defensive partner until the final months of last season, seems to have lost it. Matip struggled next to Jarell Quansah in the second half after Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate started the game.  

Greuther Fürth scored three times between the 67th and the 77th minutes and looked set for a win until Mohamed Salah restored parity in the 89th. The defensive issues from last season have not gone and the need for another centre-back is paramount ahead of the new season. Unfortunately, Liverpool still need to add a specialist No 6 after the sales of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson.  

Jürgen Klopp’s starting XI against Greuther may have resembled the one he will use versus Chelsea on the opening day of the season at Stamford Bridge. Based on Chelsea’s performances in preseason so far, that game may not experience the typical low-scoring draw we have seen in recent years between the Blues and Reds.   

Klopp opted for a strong starting XI with Alisson, Conor Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson in defence. Alexis Mac Allister, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Cody Gakpo played in midfield, while Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Ben Doak started in attack. Doak will give way to Salah for the first match of the season and Bradley will likely drop out for Dominik Szoboszlai, with Alexander-Arnold reverting to right-back.   

Of course, this could change if a specialist No 6 arrives. Unfortunately, as the summer moves on, Liverpool could get into a similar bind as last summer when they signed Arthur Melo on loan from Juventus.  

Liverpool desperately need to add a new central defender just as much as a No 6, however. Van Dijk isn’t the player he was before the knee injury that took him out during 2020-21. Konate is a strong player but injuries limited his minutes the last two seasons. Joe Gomez is a far better right-back than a centre-back. Meanwhile, Matip is going into his final contract year and just doesn’t have the legs for a full season. He seems to have lost the mental focus that made him one of the most underrated centre-backs in world football just over a season ago.   

There were plenty of Liverpool supporters on social media in the wake of Monday’s 4-4 draw claiming the result didn’t matter because it is only preseason. I will argue that it certainly does matter. Liverpool had far more quality in the side than Greuther Fürth but made errors to cost them the win. 

Liverpool’s poor injury record last season doesn’t bode well for players staying fit this season, one year older. Konate missed a significant amount of time last season after suffering an injury against Strasbourg in the final preseason game at Anfield.  

The midfield also suffered a variety of injuries. Having another high-quality centre-back to step right in for Konate, Van Dijk, Matip, or Gomez would be a significant boost going into the campaign. It would also allow Liverpool to slowly build for the following season when Matip leaves for free and Van Dijk is another year older.   

Six goals conceded in two preseason matches doesn’t look good for Liverpool. It takes the shine off the attack scoring eight times across the two fixtures. In both games, Liverpool had to come from behind to get the result thanks to the defence. Coming from behind is a trend Liverpool experience too often last season.   

Liverpool are off to Singapore for preseason matches against Leicester City and Bayern Munich before returning to England. Once home, Liverpool will face newly-promoted Bundesliga club Darmstadt at Preston’s Deepdale. Szoboszlai missed Monday’s game with a twisted ankle but will be ready to play in Singapore. Against stronger opposite for the remainder of the preseason, Liverpool’s defence needs to tighten up. The excuse of the midfield not being good enough must be put to bed. It is time for the defence to take ownership.