3 Nov 2016

Nicol blasts: Liverpool 'can't win the league' because Klopp has a 'huge problem'. Agree...?

Can Liverpool win the league? The hype is building, but Anfield legend Steven Nicol remains unconvinced by the Reds' title credentials.

Speaking to ESPN on Monday, Nicol expressed frustration with LFC's ongoing defensive issues:

"You can’t win the league by throwing goals away, and that’s what Liverpool are doing. When you're throwing them in your own net, it’s a huge problem. It’s not tactical, it’s an individual problem".

Against Crystal Palace, Dejan Lovren made two mistakes that led to opposition goals, which supports Nicol's contention that the defensive issue is an 'individual', and not 'tactical'.

Mignolet, Moreno, Clyne, and Lovren (all Rodgers' signings) have all made costly mistakes this season, but Matip (a Klopp signing) remains the one consistently sold, error-free constant in Liverpool's defensive unit.

Klopp has already dropped Moreno, Sakho, and Mignolet this season, and with Liverpool constantly linked with new central defenders, perhaps Klopp's grand plan is to overhaul the entire defence, with Lovren next on the chopping block?

One thing's for sure: Liverpool have to improve defensively to sustain a title bid. After 10 Premier League games:

* Only ONE team in the top ten has a worse defensive record than Liverpool (Bournemouth)

* City, Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Utd all have better defensive records.

* Extrapolated across a whole season, if Liverpool keep conceding at the same rate, the Reds will end the year with 50 goals conceded (the same as last season, when the club finished 8th in the league).

Last season, some fans claimed Martin Skrtel was the common denominator for Liverpool's poor defensive performance, but *nothing* has changed this season, and without Skrtel, Moreno, Mignolet, and Sakho, the Reds are still conceding too many goals.

Perhaps Lovren is the weakest link?


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