Jamie Carragher Blames Brendan Rodgers' Philosophy for Liverpool's Poor Defensive Display

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has questioned Brendan Rodgers' transfer policy and says the Reds' poor defensive record is down to the Northern Irishman's philosophy.

The Merseyside club are struggling in the league as they sit seventh in the league table with 14 points after 10 matches. This season, the Anfield club have conceded 13 goals and scored the same number of goals in the league.

Liverpool rank second in defensive errors leading to shots and goals in the last three seasons, behind Tottenham Hotspur. The former Reds star has questioned the current crop of defenders and says Rodgers has failed to rectify the defensive crisis since taking the job in 2012.

"Last season we talked about the defending, the goals they conceded and we've done the same this season as well," Carragher told Sky Sports.

"But let's look at that over the last three seasons, Brendan Rodgers' time at the club. Tottenham and Arsenal are there, but without us looking at the numbers you'd think those three teams would be up there – defenders who make mistakes.

"Is that down to a manager? Is that down to the players they buy? Can a manager do a lot if a player makes a mistake? That's a massive problem for Liverpool.

"If you've got defenders that are making mistakes, how do you rectify it? Do they think defensively minded enough? Are they proper defenders? Or are they more interested in being on the front foot, attacking? That is Brendan Rodgers' philosophy."

Meanwhile, Carragher has urged Rodgers to stop talking about Luis Suarez and focus on the current crop of players available at Anfield. The Uruguay striker joined Barcelona in the summer after an impressive spell with Liverpool last season.

"I'm trying to stop talking about Suarez. He's not there anymore, forget him, he's moved on and he's not coming back. You've got to look at what you've got now," the former Liverpool defender said.

"And they have to get more from those attacking players. There's also got to be a lot more creativity in that midfield. But the longer it goes on it shows how important Suarez was – more important than we all thought at the time."