Richards and Alan Shearer agree on LIV's biggest problem after Chelsea defeat

Liverpool have lost their last three matches across all competitions, with Arne Slot's side suffering defeats to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea

Micah Richards and Alan Shearer have voiced their concerns over Liverpool's recent form following a string of losses in various competitions. The Reds have suffered three consecutive defeats, including two Premier League matches.

Arne Slot's side were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea on Saturday, adding to their previous losses against Crystal Palace in the Premier League and Galatasaray in the Champions League. Now sitting second in the top-flight standings, Liverpool will face Manchester United at Anfield after the international break on October 19.

The defeat to Chelsea has sparked debate about Liverpool's current performances and start to the season. Richards and Shearer are among the latest commentators to weigh in, expressing particular worry about the Reds' defence, reports the Liverpool Echo.

"As you know, I was in Istanbul when they [Liverpool] played Galatasaray. We watched them last weekend against Palace also, and they’re really poor defensively," said Shearer on the latest Rest is Football podcast.

"They really are poor defensively. They’re yet to find a balance, and what would concern me is that they’ve brought [Jeremie] Frimpong in to play right-back, they’ve got Conor Bradley also in there to play right-back. Bradley started [vs Palace], [Slot] took him off because he’s got a yellow card in the first half.

"They had [Joe] Gomez on the bench, didn’t bring him on. He [Slot] moved [Dominik] Szoboszlai to right-back, he moved [Ryan] Gravenberch to centre-half– they’re all over the place defensively.

"And also, he [Slot] doesn’t trust that left-hand side with [Milos] Kerkez. Even [Virgil] Van Dijk and [Ibrahima] Konate, they’re looking very, very shaky. No protection whatsoever.

"Despite them getting off to a good start and winning games, late in games, which we thought was a positive, it’s role reversal now, and they’ve certainly lost the last two late on.

"But, if truth be told, there’s a lot of work to be done to find the balance. They’re not getting the best out of [Florian] Wirtz. There’s problems to solve, and a lot of them at Liverpool."

Richards echoed Shearer's worries about Liverpool's defence, while also suggesting the Reds deserve patience as their summer signings find their feet.

"I would agree with what Alan said. I think we have to give them a little bit of a grace period because they’ve got so many new players, and Slot actually said at the start of the season that they’ve lost a lot of players," said Richards.

"They’ve had to replace them. At this moment in time, the balance is not right. The obvious one I look at is at the back. They’re not great at the back.

"How do you balance [Hugo] Ekitike playing so well, but you’ve signed [Alexander] Isak for £125m. Isak, we know is a striker, he plays up front, but Ekitike has done so well down the middle.

"Then you’ve got a problem with Wirtz, because you want Wirtz to have the free run as a number 10, but Liverpool have been really good in previous seasons because of their energy. Now they’ve brought flair into it.

"Then you've got [Cody] Gakpo, it’s fitting everybody in. And I thought Slot, he’s a top manager, and I thought players would fit in seamlessly, and that’s why I thought Liverpool would be the favourites, but at this moment in time, it’s not working.

"And it’s not just because of the last three games, this has been from the start of the season. I remember one of the first games against Bournemouth, and [Antoine] Semenyo tore them apart.

"It’s only moments in games from Liverpool because they've got quality players seeing them through. And it’s not a crisis by any means, but it’s just getting all the top players to gel together."