Arne Slot reacts on the touchline
Alan Shearer has warned Arne Slot about three areas of Liverpool's squad
Alan Shearer pinpointed three key concerns must tackle following .
Anfield was buzzing on Friday night as supporters welcomed Slot and his team back for duties, though the victory came with several worrying moments. Liverpool began brightly with goals from and either side of the interval, before vulnerabilities emerged.
With less than 15 minutes remaining, Liverpool discovered themselves level once more courtesy of an Antoine Semenyo double. The decision to bring on for with eight minutes left paid dividends for Slot, as the attacker netted his goal just six minutes after.
wrapped up proceedings for his team during added time to claim all three points. While Liverpool worked relentlessly to unlock the stalemate and emerge victorious, has offered points for consideration to Slot across three specific departments.
Speaking on alongside , the icon said: "I think they look very, very vulnerable defensively on the turnover of possession. Particularly in behind both full-backs, whether that was or , or whether it was when he brought him on or I think he brought on at right-back."
He added: "They haven't got a full set of their midfielders yet, and this changes slightly because they've got Salah, they've got Ekitike, they've got Cody Gakpo. They've got Florian Wirtz in the sort of 10 role as well, and the two midfielders.
"So essentially I guess they've lost one in midfield which gives them that little bit more protection. They're going to have to solve that. Even in , there was a vulnerability about them."
Shearer highlighted three issues - both full-backs and defensive midfield (Image: The Rest Is Football / YouTube)
Should Shearer's assessment prove accurate, then Slot might need to tackle concerns regarding his first-choice full-backs, considering their forward-thinking approach could expose Liverpool to swift counter-attacks. Additionally, deploying a number 10 like Wirtz rather than three well-rounded central midfielders might create difficulties when combined with defenders playing out of their natural positions, due to insufficient cover during transitions.
It represents a problem that could remedy upon his return to the squad, given the Dutchman's crucial role in delivering defensive solidity last campaign. The 23-year-old was against Bournemouth at the weekend due to a one-match ban.
Gravenberch was sent off in Liverpool's final match of the season against in May, and his suspension has carried over into the new season. filled in for him alongside in the match against Bournemouth, and while the Hungarian performed well, he didn't quite fill the defensive void left by Gravenberch.
Dominik Szoboszlai started for Liverpool against Bournemouth (Image: Getty Images)
Slot has a week to adjust his tactics before Liverpool's next Premier League match, and will be keen to correct his team's mistakes before they head to St James' Park to face Newcastle United on Monday, 25 August. One player they may not need to worry about is Magpies star .
The Swedish forward was for their goalless draw with on Saturday due to an involving Liverpool. Although Liverpool's initial offer of $149 million plus add-ons for the 25-year-old earlier this month, it's believed they could still come back with a better offer before the transfer deadline.
If Liverpool fails to secure Isak before their match against Newcastle, they'll still be well prepared for the challenge thanks to $106M striker Ekitike, who has made a strong impression in his short time at Anfield so far, scoring in the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace as well as the Premier League opener against Bournemouth.