Liverpool seek to steady ship, Man Utd's Amorim faces must-win game

LIVERPOOL, Oct 3 (AFP): Liverpool have no time to lick their wounds after back-to-back defeats as they prepare for a trip to Chelsea on Saturday while Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is under severe pressure to beat in-form Sunderland.
Arsenal can climb to the top of the table ahead of kick-off at Stamford Bridge should they beat struggling West Ham as third-placed Crystal Palace defend the only unbeaten record in the Premier League.
A week ago all seemed to be going to plan for defending champions Liverpool, who boasted a perfect record of seven wins from as many games in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup.
However, many of those victories were earned with last-gasp goals, papering over the cracks as Arne Slot sought to find the right balance in a squad transformed during the transfer window.
Liverpool splashed out nearly œ450 million ($606 million) on new talent but also lost a number of key players including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz to fund those moves.
The bulk of the spending went on Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but neither of the œ100-million-plus signings has yet scored for the Reds in the Premier League.
The remodelling of the Liverpool attack has also reduced the impact of Mohamed Salah, who started Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray on the bench.
At the other end of the pitch, new full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong have been exposed while Ibrahima Konate is woefully out of form, with his future at the club in doubt.
"I'm not watching a top team," said former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.
"Liverpool aren't playing football at the moment, they are playing basketball. It is just end to end and I don't think top teams play like that."
Despite Liverpool's flaws, Chelsea would love to be in their shoes.