Defenceless! Six things came to light as Bayern Munich ruthlessly exposed Liverpool’s flimsy backline.

Although the Reds have a strong front line, they are once again giving up far too many goals, making a title challenge unlikely.

Liverpool’s 4-3 friendly loss to Bayern Munich in Singapore on Wednesday painfully demonstrated the need for defensive reinforcements. The Reds showed off their offensive prowess once more as Cody Gakpo scored the game’s first goal just two minutes after it began, and Virgil van Dijk doubled their lead.

By utilizing the enormous space between Joel Matip and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Serge Gnabry was able to score once and set up another goal for Leroy Sane to tie the game for Bayern before the break.

After conceding twice in the final two minutes, Josip Stanisic tied the score at 3-3 before Frans Kratzig scored a thunderous goal to give Bayern the victory. Luis Diaz, a second-half substitute who had been set up by Mohamed Salah, restored Liverpool’s lead.

As Jurgen Klopp’s team gave up four goals for the second time in three preseason games, GOAL examines what we learned from the match at the Singapore National Stadium.

The fantastic offensive options for Liverpool.

Liverpool shouldn’t have a problem scoring goals this year. In fact, it wouldn’t be shocking if they challenged Manchester City for the league’s most goals. Their offensive options are truly incredible, as evidenced by the fact that only Salah is currently guaranteed to start against Chelsea on Sunday.

Gakpo is likely the best choice to play through the middle after a successful preseason outing here. The Dutchman demonstrated his talent by combining with Diogo Jota for the game’s opening goal and emphatically finishing with his left foot. Because of his combination of talent and versatility, the latter player could, of course, also play in the middle or out wide. However, Diaz, who handled his goal admirably, is the more natural winger and the left flank would be the preferred position for the majority of supporters.

But let’s not forget that up until this point in their friendly matches, Darwin Nunez had been one of Liverpool’s most intelligent players. He would likely be the more conventional choice to lead the line given his height and physical presence, but his lightning-quick speed makes him a tempting option out wide as well.

At Stamford Bridge, Klopp will have the best kind of selection dilemma because all of his forwards were healthy and productive during preseason.

Jones an option but not the solution at No.6

Liverpool obviously needs a new No.6 after losing both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia.

Romeo Lavia is a target for Southampton, who have already turned down two offers for the Belgian. However, it was encouraging to learn that Fluminense’s Andre is being considered as a potential replacement because a defensive midfield specialist is obviously needed.

The England Under-21 international Curtis Jones has the self-assurance to play the part, as Klopp claimed before the game that he could have “a massive impact in that position.”. In Singapore, he took the ball several times under pressure and used quick, shrewd turns to escape sticky situations. But since the position in question takes some time to master, Liverpool can’t really afford to have Jones pick up skills on the job.

Van Dijk will enjoy the new position.

There were many candidates to replace Henderson as Liverpool’s captain. Van Dijk receiving the armband from Klopp was not entirely unexpected, though. In actuality, the Dutchman was the obvious choice. The most important player on the team is also the defense’s leader.

He clearly enjoys the role, so it wasn’t a surprise when he scored on his first appearance as the team’s new captain. Van Dijk quite literally excelled, towering over the Bayern back line to head in an Andy Robertson corner.

Van Dijk looked like a serious threat every time he moved forward for a set-piece, so Liverpool will be hoping it’s the first of many this season. Even more encouragingly, he made a number of crucial interventions when those around him appeared to be lost, which only served to highlight how well-suited he was for his new position.

In terms of defense, Reds continue to struggle.

Liverpool’s defensive issues haven’t just vanished. The Alexander-Arnold puzzle is still a mystery to Klopp and his coaching staff. However, this inverted right-back position is still causing problems on the right side of the backline, especially when Joel Matip is playing. The versatile England international adds so much offensively when he moves into midfield.

Despite having many positive traits, the Cameroonian simply lacks the necessary speed and agility to cover for Alexander-Arnold when he is occupying more advanced positions, as both of Bayern’s goals highlighted.

In the first instance, Alexander-Arnold was out of position and was unable to react in time to Gnabry’s most straightforward inward run after receiving a pass from Kim Min-jae. Gnabry then cut inside Matip far too easily before scoring the goal.

The second goal was uncannily similar, but this time Alexander-Arnold wasn’t to blame for getting high up the pitch; after all, that’s what he’s supposed to do. As Gnabry was once again given a free run at Matip before leaving Sane with a simple finish, Liverpool simply lost the ball at the worst possible time for him and his team.

Alexander-Arnold’s acceptance by Liverpool entails a gamble, but the question of whether the risk is worthwhile must be raised once more.

Alisson must perform more miracles.

Liverpool is therefore very fortunate that Alisson appears to be on track for another successful season full of incredible saves given their persistent defensive shortcomings. the No. Only David de Gea managed to keep more clean sheets than Alisson (14), despite the fact that 1 was severely let down by his back four countless times last season.

According to this evidence, Liverpool will need the Brazilian to be at his brilliant best once more if they want to stand a chance of returning to the top four. Making a series of sensational stops in Singapore, he at least appears up to the challenge. I mean, Liverpool might have given up eight goals if Alisson hadn’t saved them!