Arne Slot must bench £36m Liverpool player against Chelsea and replace him with 'vital' star

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Rousing the Kop or go back to LFC Live.

Liverpool need to show a reaction at the weekend after losing their last two games.The Reds have had a very tough week, with it all starting with a defeat away from home to Crystal Palace last Saturday.Then on Wednesday, they followed this up with a poor performance vs Galatasaray in the Champions League, losing 1-0 without really laying a glove on them.Arne Slot made plenty of changes for both these matches, but they clearly did not work, suggesting he has a lot of things to think about before taking on Chelsea in the last game before the international break.One decision that might not take too much time, however, is to bench one Liverpool player in particular due to his poor performances, with there being an obvious replacement. Photo by Gaspafotos/MB Media/Getty ImagesJoe Gomez should start over Ibrahima Konate against ChelseaLiverpool’s defence has been a huge problem at the start of the season, but the worrying thing for fans is that it is not getting any better.Against both Palace and Galatasaray, the backline looked shaky yet again, with Ibrahima Konate in particular struggling.

The Frenchman was ‘bullied’ at the weekend and struggled with the physicality of Jean-Philippe Mateta, with this followed up by another poor showing in Turkey.Not only was his positioning questioned at times, but he also did not look comfortable on the ball, with his mistake being the one that forced Alisson into an injury-causing save.READ MORE: Liverpool could have the next Ryan Gravenberch coming through and Arne Slot already loves himWhether his contract situation is playing on his mind will never be known, but it certainly looks as if it is, with the Frenchman needing to sort it out before it costs the Reds further.So while this is the case, it might be best for Slot to take him out of the firing line and give him a rest for this clash, with Joe Gomez the obvious, and only, replacement for him.Joe Gomez needs to step up this seasonLiverpool fans know that Gomez has all the ability in the world, or at least he did, and was once ‘vital’ to the team, but his persistent injuries mean he cannot be trusted.However, with the Reds only having three real centre-back options now that Giovanni Leoni is injured, this is the Englishman’s big chance to prove himself.He will be needed to play a lot more games than he has before, with it near-impossible to go the whole season with just Virgil van Dijk and Konate, and this game might be a good chance for him to start.He did not look the best in the EFL Cup against Southampton, but with the best players around him for this one, he might just be able to show why he can give Konate a run for his money and why the Frenchman needs to step up his game.