Liverpool‘s shaky defence is similar to Newcastle‘s under Kevin Keegan, and it may cost them a shot at the Premier League title, according to Alan Shearer.
The Reds went top of the table with a crushing 6-1 win over Watford on Sunday, after Manchester City and Arsenal both drew their weekend fixtures.
It is the first time Liverpool have hit top spot under Jurgen Klopp’s management and despite their form in front of goal, Shearer, who led the line for Newcastle for 10 years from 1996, believes their defence could undermine them.
Liverpool had a whopping 17 shots on target against Watford.
“I think that’s the one area they have to improve on,” he told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“That would be my one small worry, very much like Newcastle 20 years ago – the team I played in.
“Going forward we didn’t half create chances and we had loads of guys to finish them off: Ferdinand, Beardsley, Asprilla or myself, but the one worry was defensively – and that would be my concern with Liverpool.”
Liverpool have conceded 14 goals – more than any other top-seven side.
Newcastle finished second behind Manchester United in the 1995/96 season and 1996/97 as their defence struggled to keep clean sheets.
The Magpies were scintillating in attack, with Shearer ending both campaigns as the Premier League’s top goal scorer, the first of which he played for Blackburn Rovers in, but their defence on both occasions conceded the most goals of the top five sides.
A comparison can easily be drawn to Liverpool’s current side, who have already scored 30 goals in 11 matches, but have also kept just one clean sheet in the league – a 0-0 draw with Manchester United.