Pundit Claims Key Liverpool Defender Is Being Let Down by His Teammates

BBC pundit Garth Crooks has hit out at the Liverpool defence claiming they are letting down one key member of the back line.

Liverpool followed up their 2-2 draw with Sevilla in the opening night of the Champions League with a 1-1 home draw against Burnley, in a game where Liverpool couldn't convert more than one of their 35 shots they had.

Alex Livesey/GettyImages

Their attacking prowess isn't the only area where Liverpool have been struggling. Their defence has received widespread criticism in recent weeks - especially following their 5-0 defeat against Manchester City - and the defence failed to answer their critics in their recent match with Burnley.

However, despite a poor defensive performance, Crooks found a place in his team of the week for one Liverpool defender, Joel Matip. Although he claimed the Reds' biggest weakness is their defence, he claimed there was a shining light in Matip, and proceeded to slate the defenders around the Cameroon international when picking his team of the week for BBC.

He said: “Joel Matip is a very willing defender and without the Cameroon centre-back’s exploits against Burnley, Liverpool would almost certainly have lost.

Alex Broadway/GettyImages

“Matip is an honest competitor capable of producing excellent performances on his day. But for goodness sake, he needs a defence around him.”

Liverpool now face back-to-back away trips to Leicester in both the Carabao Cup and Premier League this week, and will be hoping that Matip's defensive partners like Alberto Moreno and Dejan Lovren can set their performances up and help get the Reds back to winning ways.