#defensive-issues

#defensive-issues

However, despite landing an eye-catching 3-1 victory outside of Hertfordshire on Saturday afternoon, the Scholars have once again drastically failed to find any kind of stability since opening up the 2025/26 campaign. Watching their FA Cup qualifying adventure come to an end earlier in the month as they eventually fell to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Hitchin, Max Mitchell's side have mustered just a single win from any of their first eight appearances across all competitions.

The mechanisms of a football team are delicate. You win the league then add nearly 300m of talent and it doesn't necessarily mean you'll win it again, doesn't necessarily make you better, even if you're not doing something as obviously likely to cause imbalance as adding Kylian Mbappe to a Real Madrid team already stacked with left-sided attackers. Liverpool go into Sunday's home game against Arsenal having won two out of two in the Premier League and scored a healthy seven goals.

Teams that come up from the Championship will not be able to play out the back against Arsenal. They're one of the best defensive and pressing sides in the league! The goalkeeper had two or three warnings. Gyokeres just has to settle himself down. Maybe he's reaching but he should do a lot better. That should be the final warning for Leeds, it's ridiculous.

No manager should really be under pressure after just two games, but it is hard to excuse his side's disappointing performances - and defend Potter's record in charge since he replaced Julen Lopetegui in January. He has won just five of his 21 games so far and, having conceded three against Sunderland, West Ham have shipped eight goals across their first two games of a top-flight campaign for the first time ever.

When Ibrox turns on its own like this, there's a temptation to put in the earplugs and don the crash helmet. It ain't pretty. It's as visceral as it gets; loud and vicious, words coming like blades, capable of cutting their target in half.

During the pre-season, Liverpool conceded goals in five senior matches, including a 4-2 loss to AC Milan and multiple goals allowed against teams like Athletic Bilbao.

Germany's defensive frailties were on full display, and although they started strong, they couldn't maintain their momentum, ultimately succumbing to Sweden's offensive prowess.

"We didn't play well. There are many explanations for this. If you are 1-0 up, you can't give it up."