‘We said it’ – Roy Keane claims Liverpool haven’t fixed ‘problem’ which lingers from last season

Roy Keane has claimed that ‘the biggest problem’ at Liverpool right now is one which stems back to the latter part of last season.

Although the Reds returned to winning ways in style on Wednesday night by thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1, it was the eighth successive match in which they failed to keep a clean sheet, with 18 goals conceded in 13 games across all competitions.

The Premier League champions have had only two shoutouts so far in this campaign (1-0 wins over Arsenal and Burnley), compared to nine for the Gunners in a dozen matches.

Keane: Liverpool’s defensive problems are nothing new

On the latest Stick to Football podcast, Keane claimed that Liverpool’s defensive frailties date back to the latter part of last season, when they were largely glossed over by virtue of having won the top-flight title with four games to spare.

The ex-Manchester United captain said: “I think obviously the biggest problem is defensively. Going forward, there’s a goal threat. The lads are a little bit off, but they’ve come back and they’ve got quality.

“Defensively, and we said it at the start of the season, going back to the Community Shield, they’re giving up chances. You’re going, ‘Yeah, but they’re scoring, they’re scoring’, and now that’s dried up*.

“They’re still giving up loads of chances, loads of goals, even towards the end of last season. That’s the biggest issue.”

(*Podcast was recorded on Wednesday before the 5-1 win in Frankfurt)

Liverpool need to tighten up, but there were encouraging signs midweek

When including the final eight games of the 2024/25 campaign, Liverpool have conceded 32 goals in 21 matches and kept just three clean sheets in that time.

Admitted nine of the concession tally came after the Premier League title had been secured and players might subconsciously have switched off, but it nonetheless highlights a worrying trend that Arne Slot will be yearning to arrest, starting with the visit to Brentford tomorrow night.

Keane’s misgivings about the Reds’ defence echo those of Jamie Carragher, who warned that the champions simply won’t retain their title this term unless they tighten up significantly at the back.

What might provide the head coach with some encouragement is that the tally of 0.3 xG against in Frankfurt was Liverpool’s second-lowest of the season and was a marked improvement on the four games that they’d lost prior to midweek (cumulative xG against of 6.9, via FBref).

Slot won’t want to curb the attacking threat that his collection of top-class forwards can provide, but if there was a way to sacrifice some of that in favour of being more resolute at the other end of the pitch, we’d be much closer to achieving an ideal balance which’d get our pursuit of trophies back on track.

You can watch Slot’s full pre-Brentford press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:

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