I agree with you. Liverpool played well, but there was a slight decline in their defense. And we have to say, their defense isn't as solid as last season. There are several gaps that opponents seem to be able to exploit. Fortunately, this team's attack level is still top-notch, but Liverpool is still better.
Oh yes, Liverpool will also face a tough opponent in the Champions League. In the opening round, they will face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. And I think that will be a good test for this team.
Liverpool is such a strong team and the expectations from them are also very high. Their performance in the last season was too good and by seeing that performance the expectations of their fans are settled on that basis in fact it was expected that they would perform out of the boundaries. But their performance was quite dropping expectations as there is a visible difference in their performance as compared to the last season. I think any team who has a strong attacking line and has a strong defense line will always seem to manage their success. But there is a thing which is also noticeable and doesn't ignorable is that their defense line seems to be dropping their grip on it. If it continues it will definitely damage the team or it will be really harmful for them.
Well, for a team to continue its success throughout a season, it needs a good balance between the defense, midfield, and attack. All must have a balanced strength, allowing the team to score a lot of goals without conceding many. Last season, Liverpool had a good balance. However, this season, that balance seems shaky at the start. But I believe Arne Slot will fix it soon. Perhaps we should wait a few weeks to see if their defense improves. But if it doesn't improve at all, we should lower our expectations for this team a little.
Because I remember a similar thing happened last season in La Liga, with Real Madrid. They had a prolific forward who scored goals, but they had problems at the back, which prevented Real Madrid from defending their title. But Real Madrid's problem at that time was due to injuries. Liverpool's problem lies in the lack of suitable players to replace the departed players.