Arne Slot hints at next Liverpool transfer priority after Crystal Palace loss

Arne Slot singled out Liverpool's uncharacteristically shoddy defending in the aftermath of their penalty shootout defeat in the Community Shield, admitting the Premier League champions need to be much better at the back moving forward.

The Reds surged into a fourth minute lead at Wembley courtesy of Hugo Ekitike, before another new boy, Jeremie Frimpong, restored their advantage after Jean-Philippe Mateta had restored parity from the penalty spot briefly. Ismaila Sarr struck late on to send the game to penalties, though, with Crystal Palace triumphing 3-2 in the shootout.

Liverpool will start the defence of their Premier League crown on Friday night when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield.

And while Liverpool's new attackers got Slot's seal of approval post-match, the Dutchman bemoaned his team's slack defending following the loss.

"I have mixed feelings," Slot told TNT Sports. "If you look at our attacking play it looks better than last season [against Crustal Palace]. On the other hand we conceded two goals, we need to be better defensively."

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Alexander Isak latest, Man Utd urged to scrap £40m deal, Arsenal get Eberechi Eze boost

READ MORE: Arne Slot told transfer target 'fits everything Liverpool need' as club hero endorses move

Liverpool are down to just three recognised centre-backs at first-team level after selling Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer and have been tipped to enter the transfer market for a central defender before the deadline after strengthening elsewhere.

It will not be lost on Slot or the Liverpool hierarchy that one of their summer transfer targets, Marc Guehi, was on the winning side at Wembley. The Palace defender is in the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park andtalk of a switch to Anfield refuses to go away.

It remains to be seen, though, if Liverpool will actually move for the £45million-rated England star before the 1 September.

Join the debate! What did you make of Liverpool's performance vs Palace? Let us know here

Two of the Reds' new recruits did catch the eye on Sunday, though, in Ekitike and Frimpong. But while Slot praised Liverpool's scorers, he once again referenced the need to be stronger defensively.

"The first one is a very good team goal and a good example of how creative we can be, that will only get better," he added.

"But I think if you want to compete to win the league, one of the main things is not conceding goals or chances and we have to improve on that."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.