Liverpool's Defensive Crisis: Why Long-Ball Teams Expose Slot's Weakness

After winning their first five Premier League fixtures, Liverpool's campaign has gone off the rails with four defeats on the trot. Liverpool's defence was exposed once again, with Dango Ouattara firing the hosts to a 1-0 lead in the opening five minutes, courtesy of a long throw from Michael Kayode.

It was a threat that Slot had identified before the fixture and had prepared Liverpool for during Friday's training session. Throughout the 90 minutes, Brentford played 62 long passes, their highest tally in the ongoing season.

"Quite a few things. It is definite that teams have a certain playing style against us; it is a very good strategy to play. We have not found an answer yet. Going 1-0 down does not help after five minutes," Slot said in his post-match press conference as quoted from Sky Sports.

"We are still, even today, when we don't play well, able to score two goals. But you cannot compete, which we don't do at the moment, because we concede too many goals. That is not only the defence you do it with 11 players together," Slot added.

Liverpool handsomely shelled out cash and spent £400m on six new signings to bolster their hopes of defending their Premier League crown. Following their latest setback, the Dutch manager believes the shift to new faces has played a part in their turbulent start to the season and said, "It has something to do with when you change a lot in the summer. I did not expect it to go with four losses in a row."

While Slot's training session focused on tackling the long throw-in, the Dutchman also acknowledged he was wary of Brentford's counter-attack threat. Despite being prepared for it, Kevin Schade doubled Brentford's lead just before the half-time courtesy of a counter-attack play.

"That's not the only thing we prepared them for because Brentford are also known for very good set pieces. They are also known for a fantastic counter-attack, and that was their second goal, and I think at this moment in time, that's why it should never be seen as an excuse," Slot concluded.

After the fourth successive defeat, Liverpool has slipped to sixth with 15 points and faces the possibility of slumping further in the table with top sides yet to play their matches on Sunday.

- ANI