‘Slightly concerned’: Chris Sutton believes Liverpool ‘vulnerability’ gives Arsenal an edge in title race

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Liverpool are now second in the Premier League table after their loss to Chelsea.The Reds were dreadful once again in the league as they were bested by Enzo Maresca’s side at Stamford Bridge, with Moises Caicedo and Estevao Willian scoring to sink the hopes of the travelling fans.It was not the result Arne Slot and his team wanted or needed at this moment in time, given it was their third consecutive loss in all competitions as they head into the international break on this winless run.They now find themselves one point behind title rivals Arsenal, who have maintained their consistency since losing at Anfield to Slot’s side in August.Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty ImagesTheir problems have been incredibly apparent since the top-flight resumed in the summer, but none of the problems have been addressed, even though they are in desperate need of addressing them.Chris Sutton says Liverpool’s bench and defence do not compare to Arsenal’sIt is a shame that the season has started in such a disappointing way after last year’s triumph in the league, being so important and seen as a turning point for increased success.But it is early in the season, and the winner of the competition still cannot be figured out just yet, even if Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are now looking stronger favourites than many were expecting.Chris Sutton has been one of those praising the North London side for their start to the season in comparison to the showings from their rivals on Merseyside.READ MORE: Chris Sutton reckons Arne Slot simply isn’t keen on one of his new signings at LiverpoolDuring the Radio 5 Live phone-in, the Englishman had pointed out that Liverpool do not have the defensive quality or substitute depth compared to Arsenal.Analysing both of the sides’ performances yesterday, Sutton explained: “I would be slightly concerned about the fullback areas and that central defensive area because you didn’t get Marc Guehi over the line. I watched Arsenal today, and I know it is West Ham.

I know you can say that, but they cruised to victory.“Their bench is so, so strong. You are just looking at Liverpool, and you are thinking that Arsenal have the foundation at the back, the strength they have in defence, that’s an area of vulnerability for Liverpool, and it is hard to see things really changing there, isn’t it?”Liverpool need to use their impact players moreWhile it may not be as strong a bench as Arteta’s side, there are some impact substitutes that the Dutchman does not use enough to change games.One of those is, of course, fan favourite Federico Chiesa, who has scored two late goals in the league this season and shown his quality against Southampton in the League Cup.For whatever reason, when Slot decides to bring attackers on, he ignores the Italian, but out of all the substitutes, he is the best in this type of situation when it is a draw.There is also Rio Ngumoha, who showed he can do the same job as Chiesa when called upon.However, Slot does need to sort out his best starting XI so that he does not have to solely rely on the bench, but at the moment, nothing is going well for him.