Merson: Alexander-Arnold is the key to Liverpool breaking through the dense defense. Slott’s self-exposed weakness is worrying

Liverpool lost 2-3 to Brentford in this round of the Premier League's highlight match. The famous player Merson criticized Slott's speech after the game. He wrote as follows:

I don't agree with Slott's remarks about the team's ability to deal with long passes and low defense.

They just spent more than 100 million pounds to introduce Florian Wirtz, precisely to break the opponent's ten-man iron barrel formation. He is indeed a top player with outstanding football intelligence and the acumen to tear apart defenses. This is why Liverpool spent so much money to buy him.

But now the team has lost Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was a key part of Liverpool's secret defense system. The weight now falls on Wirtz's shoulders, and he is clearly still adjusting.

In the Bundesliga, he has never encountered a team like Brentford. The result last Saturday is rare in the Bundesliga, La Liga or Serie A, but in the Premier League, it is not uncommon for underdogs to score three goals and defeat the defending champions.

This challenge unique to the Premier League is the source of the struggle for new players - no game here can be easily passed. What's more, Liverpool has the world's number one central defender Virgil Van Dijk, which makes Slott's argument about long passes even more worrying.

Now all opponents will make a fuss about this weakness. The results achieved by Brentford through a simple and direct attacking model have set a template for other teams.

Liverpool must find a solution as soon as possible. In the coming weeks, they know exactly what kind of tactical test they will face.