Liverpool boss Arne Slot has big problem with two players after Man City defeat

Arne Slot has more than getting his coat dry to worry about when he journeys back home down the M62 on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool and Manchester City, who have dominated the Premier League title race for the past eight seasons, displayed a stark contrast in class when they clashed at the Etihad.

Despite regaining their footing with consecutive victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid, Liverpool were swiftly toppled by a formidable City in Pep Guardiola's 1000th match as a manager. The Reds were outplayed across the pitch. This lacklustre performance is another blow in a season that is rapidly deteriorating for Slot - and two of his players are giving him a massive headache.

Liverpool's defensive struggles this season are well-known, leading Slot to bench Milos Kerkez. Meanwhile, Jeremie Frimpong's injuries have allowed Conor Bradley to secure his place in the team.

Bradley performed admirably against Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr earlier in the week, but even he struggled to keep up with an inspired Jeremy Doku. Doku was a persistent nuisance for Liverpool, and he scored a well-earned goal - City's third - with a stunning strike reminiscent of those typically seen from Mohamed Salah.

However, Slot must address the centre-back pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

Van Dijk's performance levels have declined this season. While he may feel hard done by with his goal being disallowed, his defending for City's second goal was inexcusable. Retreating towards his own goal, the Dutchman offered a feeble attempt at a block with the deflection off his heel leaving Giorgi Mamardashvili flat-footed.

Konate was identified as the main vulnerability by City who allowed the Frenchman time on the ball, feeling he would not do much with it if they did. In the first 30 minutes, Konate had the most touches on the pitch.

Defensively, Konate was poor. He was culpable when Liverpool conceded an early penalty which Erling Haaland missed and he was beaten in the air by the Norwegian for the opener. He wasn't much better in the rest of the 90 minutes.

Liverpool are lacking depth in defence, which is why Slot wanted Marc Guehi, but something has to change. Whether it is personnel, and Joe Gomez gets a go, or the formation to grant extra defensive cover.

The Reds have now suffered defeat in five of their last six Premier League matches, falling behind Ruben Amorim's Manchester United and creating a significant gap between themselves and the league leaders Arsenal.

Liverpool's upcoming fixtures appear more favourable, with Nottingham Forest at home, West Ham away and Sunderland at home next in the Premier League. All three matches are crucial victories, anything less for Slot and for Liverpool, would be unacceptable.