'I think he's got to show a little bit more' – Liverpool forward told to pull his weight as Reds left defensively exposed so far this season

Reigning Premier League champions Liverpool were off to a flying start, winning seven matches in a row across all competitions, including five in the Premier League. However, since their narrow loss at Crystal Palace towards the end of September, things have gone downhill for Slot's men. They next faced a defeat at the hands of Galatasaray in Turkey in a Champions League fixture and then went down 2-1 against Chelsea in their final game ahead of the international break. The back-to-back league defeats also led to Liverpool, who were leaking goals even when winning, dropping to second place in the table and allowing Arsenal to claim the top spot.

The Reds have struggled defensively since the start of the season as they have already conceded nine goals in seven league appearances, the most among the top five teams in the Premier League. Performances of the attacking players have also come under scrutiny following the loss against the Blues, as new signings like Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak are yet to justify massive price tags. 

After the loss at Stamford Bridge, Manchester United legend and pundit Wayne Rooney had questioned star forward Mohamed Salah's work ethic, while claiming the Egyptian should do more off the ball to help his team-mates.

Former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey, however, refused to put the blame on Salah as he claimed that it is Gakpo who should show more effort on the pitch to uplift the team's performance. Speaking to Pundit Arena, Heskey said: "I think Gakpo needs to come into his own. I think he's got to show a little bit more, especially on that left wing. He needs to show a little bit more for me. I was hoping he could be the one that would be stepping into that void that Luis Diaz has left. I don't think they regret selling Diaz though, business is business."

Heskey also claimed that the Reds defence's terrible performance at the start of the season is keeping Slot awake as he advised the Dutchman to work on the combination of his back four. The Merseyside club added two new full-backs in the summer transfer window as Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez moved to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth. However, both new arrivals have struggled thus far, with Kerkez's form drawing sharp criticism from experts. 

Heskey added: "Defensively, he wants to get things solid again. Konate and Van Dijk were solid last season but it just looks a little bit jaded. Obviously, with the full-backs, Trent's not there anymore, Frimpong and Kerkez are just bedding in. So Slot is trying to find that match that Robertson, Van Dijk, Konate and Trent had. They were solid and he's got to try and find that again. It might not look exactly the same, but it's got to have some sort of solidity to it."

Liverpool have been dealt a huge injury blow during the international break as they have been left sweating over star midfielder Ryan Gravenberch's fitness after the midfielder was substituted at half-time during the Netherlands' World Cup qualifier against Finland on Sunday. After the qualifier, the Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman provided an update on the player's condition, as he said: "Ryan indicated he was experiencing some minor hamstring discomfort. We obviously didn't take any risks with that."

Gravenberch's injury news comes as a massive blow for Arne Slot, who is already dealing with an injury to first-choice goalkeeper Alisson and Ibrahima Konate returning early from France duty. The latter's fitness problem leaves only two fit centre-backs in the first-team squad. Amid the injury crisis at Anfield, the English champions will aim to get back to winning ways next Sunday, as they host rivals Manchester United in a crucial Premier League clash.