Former England and Manchester United forward, Wayne Rooney, has highlighted a major issue in Liverpool’s defence, which he believes played a key role in the club’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea over the weekend.
Rooney, who was speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, said Liverpool’s right-back position remains a “clear problem” and was exposed once again during Saturday’s loss at Stamford Bridge.
The match saw goals from Moises Caicedo and Willian Estevao secure a crucial win for Chelsea, cancelling out Cody Gakpo’s first-half strike for Liverpool. The Reds have now suffered three consecutive defeats — against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League, and now Chelsea.
Liverpool’s recent dip in form has seen them drop behind Arsenal, who now sit top of the Premier League table with a one-point advantage.
Rooney was particularly critical of Liverpool’s defensive setup, especially the performance of Conor Bradley, who started at right-back but was substituted at half-time after picking up a yellow card.
“It’s a clear problem Liverpool have got in the right-back area,” Rooney said. “Conor Bradley has come off twice at half-time in the last two league games.”
The former Manchester United captain explained that Liverpool have tried multiple players in that position this season without success.
“They’ve tried Dominik Szoboszlai there, but it hasn’t really worked for him. Jeremie Frimpong was on the bench but didn’t get on. That’s three right-backs in seven league games.”
Rooney added that Chelsea took full advantage of this weakness.
“Chelsea saw that and exploited it. The Liverpool back four were all over the place at times. There were warning signs early on,” he said.
Bradley’s early yellow card, Rooney noted, likely contributed to manager Arne Slot’s decision to substitute him again at halftime.
“Bradley got a yellow card and I’m sure that was a big factor in him getting subbed off at half-time. It was a big problem for Liverpool today, as it has been all season.”
New Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who replaced Jurgen Klopp at the end of last season, is already facing growing scrutiny following his side’s sluggish start to the campaign.
With inconsistent performances in both the domestic league and European competition, fans and pundits are beginning to question the stability of the squad — especially in defence.
Liverpool will now hope to bounce back quickly in their upcoming fixtures, but unless the defensive frailties are addressed, particularly at full-back, Rooney warns the team could struggle to keep up with their title rivals.
