Gary Neville has urged Arne Slot to take Milos Kerkez out of the firing line after Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat at Brentford, arguing that the full back position has become a growing concern during a run of poor league results. The Premier League champions have not won in the top flight since late September and have lost four in a row to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Manchester United and Brentford. Slot called the Brentford loss the worst display of his season and a half at Anfield and faces pressure to steady the side before the year ends.
‘The virus is catching’: full backs under the microscope
Neville said on his podcast that Liverpool have let winnable matches slip and pointed first to issues at full back. He felt that earlier in the campaign Ibrahima Konate had mixed moments while Virgil van Dijk and Alisson held the team together. He now sees problems growing across the back line. Kerkez has started the last four league matches and even scored at Brentford, yet Neville believes the left back should be taken out. On the other flank he questioned the profile of Jeremie Frimpong at right back and noted that Conor Bradley has promise but is learning in difficult circumstances as the goals against keep coming.
Back to basics blueprint and a Ferguson comparison
Reflecting on his Manchester United years, Neville recalled phases when the team always looked like scoring but leaked goals. Sir Alex Ferguson would respond by choosing safer full backs, narrowing the midfield and building a solid base. Neville suggested a similar approach for Liverpool now. He proposed a compact back four, fewer gaps in midfield, stronger duels and cleaner defending at set pieces. He argued that the attack has enough quality to finish chances, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo able to deliver, so the priority must be to stop conceding.
Time for Slot to simplify and ‘interfere’
Neville wondered if this is the moment for Slot to strip things back. If Kerkez and Bradley remain in the same roles while the midfield protection stays thin, he warned that Liverpool will keep flipping between wins and losses rather than finding consistency. He stressed that Slot does not appear to be panicking but must intervene to break the pattern that has taken hold over recent weeks.
Table context and what comes next
Liverpool sit seventh, while Arsenal lead the league by four points over Bournemouth. The schedule offers little room to breathe. The Reds launch their Carabao Cup campaign on Wednesday at Anfield against Crystal Palace, which gives Slot an immediate chance to test a more pragmatic setup and reset the team’s defensive standards.
