Alan Pardew believes Liverpool’s defensive problems are due to Arne Slot dropping ‘brilliant’ star

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Liverpool have shipped far too many goals at the start of the new season.The Reds are not having the best time of late, with three losses on the bounce leaving some fans very worried heading into their game against Manchester United on Sunday.One of the biggest issues that teams are exploiting is their defence, with it much more open compared to previous years and looking vulnerable every time the opposition attacks. Join our newsletter for news & smart analysis.

Liverpool have conceded nine goals in the league already, seven more than they let in this time last season, proving how they appear to have gone backwards in this department.Arne Slot certainly has a lot of thinking to do, but Alan Pardew believes that these issues all stemmed from when the Dutchman dropped one of his most trusted players.Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty ImagesAlan Pardew believes Arne Slot should not have dropped Andy RobertsonThe Reds underwent a lot of change all over the pitch in the summer, but it has, arguably, been the two full-back areas that have seen the biggest shake-up.Trent Alexander-Arnold departed for Real Madrid while Andy Robertson was made second-choice, meaning that two players who have done it all before were no longer a key part of the setup.This has certainly disrupted the flow of things, made worse by the fact that Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are yet to impress, hence why the defence has struggled.Pardew believes that all these changes might be to blame, with Robertson in particular very unlucky to lose his place, “They (Liverpool) haven’t really played one great game, I don’t think,” he told talkSPORT.“He (Slot) has made a lot of changes. They have got great talent in and around the team.READ MORE: Liverpool may now find themselves with another Sadio Mane situation on their hands“It is going to be a question mark getting the balance right.

I think changing the two full-backs – Andy Robertson has been absolutely brilliant this week for Scotland – has been an issue.“I think they’ve not looked as good at the back.”Andy Robertson must start vs Man UnitedThere is no denying that Kerkez has an abundance of quality, but he simply has not settled and been able to show it just yet.Another poor performance against Chelsea last time out did not help his case, suggesting that Slot might need to take him out of the firing line for a little bit.Against Manchester United too, emotion can really take over this game, something that is perhaps best suited to Robertson due to his experience in the fixture.He overcame an injury worry to feature twice for Scotland in the week, impressing in both, suggesting that this might be the best chance at getting some minutes, while giving Kerkez a much-needed break.