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Gary Neville says Milos Kerkez must be "taken out" as his poor performances have become a "virus" infecting the Liverpool squad. The Premier League champions have now lost four games in a row, having gone down 3-2 at Brentford on Saturday evening, having started the season with five straight victories. Liverpool are now firm outsiders to retain their league crown, with Arsenal the heavy odds-on favourites, and Neville believes the problems start in defence. Summer signing Kerkez has started the season poorly, and Neville believes his performances are taking their toll on captain Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the defence. "I think there are quite a few of those games where I feel like they could have won if they had taken their chances," Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. “Earlier in the season, I felt as though their full-backs weren’t right, and maybe [Ibrahima] Konate at times wasn’t right, but Van Dijk was holding them together and Alisson was in goal, and you’ve got two world-class performers there. “But the virus is catching. It’s not just going into the left-back, who I think now is becoming a worry. Kerkez scored [against Brentford] but watching him, he has to be taken out, I think.|" Liverpool also spent big on bringing in a new right-back in Jeremie Frimpong, who has made just four appearances since joining as he shares responsibilities with Conor Bradley and and out-of-position Dominik Szoboszlai. “I’m also worried about the right back,” Neville continued. “Frimpong’s not a right-back. Conor Bradley’s being given his head and I’m supportive of that because there’s a lot of talent there, but it’s difficult when your team is conceding goals and the pressure’s on.” Neville retains some confidence in Liverpool, though believes the title is out of their hands already, with Arsenal expected to end their long trophy drought this season, but feels Arne Slot has a job on his hands to fix the malaise. "It sounds quite defensive, and like going back to base camp, but sometimes you have to do that when everything's crazy, chaotic and mad, which it is for Liverpool," he said. "You just have to find that foundation which ultimately can keep a narrow back four, prevent spaces, win your duels and set pieces, don't given easy goals away, play it forward quicker and be a little bit more direct knowing that front three will win you games. "I wonder whether it's time now for Arne Slot to simplify. If he carries on playing Kerkez and Bradley and they carry on being as exposed as they are in midfield, you'll keep getting the same results or flipping a game on are we going to win or are we going to lose. "[Slot] cannot allow this to happen each week. It's a pattern of what they have become and he's going to have to do something different.”
