Liverpool manager Arn Slott has been taught how to solve problems up front and at full-back by Reds legend Ian Rush and former Premier League manager Alan Pardew.
The Reds had a five-point lead in the Premier League but lost to Crystal Palace, Galatasaray and Chelsea in their final three games before the international break.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have won both Premier League games and lead Slott’s side with a point, while Liverpool return from the international break to face arch-rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
A lot of attention has been focused on the defensive and midfield performances this season, but also whether the slot can fit in with both Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak.
Liverpool legend Rush insists he would “not be surprised” if Slott tried to start both new strikers signed at the same team.
Rush told talkSPORT:
Read: Florian Wirths defends Nagelsmann’s nonsense statistics against Liverpool team-mate
“I think we need to consider all options. The most important thing with Arne Slott is that he looks at the opponent, looks at the opponent and decides who to play.”
“So it’s not surprising to me.”
Rush added: “I think Isak needs match fitness at the moment because of what happened in the summer.
“He’s not match fit yet so we need to bring him in slowly.
“Ekitike, he’s been great for us. I think he’s probably the main guy for us at the moment so we’ll just have to take our time and see.”
And former West Ham manager Pardew believes Slott needs to stick with his two best full-backs rather than constantly changing them.
Coach Pardew also spoke on talkSPORT:
“He (Slot) has made a lot of changes. They have great talent inside and outside the team.
“There’s going to be question marks about getting the balance right. I think changing the two full-backs is a problem. Andy Robertson was really good this week for Scotland, but that was a problem. I don’t think they looked that good at full-back.”
More about Liverpool from F365…
👉 Three sources confirm Reds’ interest, when Liverpool will ‘officially’ move on ‘free agent bomb’
👉 Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal stars in danger of missing out on the expanded 48-team World Cup
👉 Arsenal evolve into title contenders, summarized in a table that shocked the club’s bottom spot
Mohamed Salah has also been out of form so far this season, but Pardew suggested the Liverpool star will be back to form soon.
Pardew added: “Mo (Salah) obviously hasn’t reached the heights since he signed his new contract, but I feel like this game (against Manchester United) could be a game where you say, ‘Oh, Salah isn’t that bad, he’s back to his best’, because that’s the type of player he is.”
“There were games where his offensive work wasn’t good. His defensive work is usually solid, but I think there were days like that.”
“I think he’s going to come roaring back and I think Liverpool will win that game. It’s going to be a great game to watch and I’m looking forward to it.”
