Liverpool 2 Ludogorets 1 - "Three thoughts" by Paul Natton

1. Phew.

We got out of jail there because that was horrible again. We were marginally better than Saturday but the margins were so tiny as to be almost negligible and I'm now not looking forward to West Ham or even Boro at all.

Once again the lack of intensity and cohesion in the team was glaring and we look to have problems all over the pitch. Why Brendan persisted with one up front and no diamond after seeing that approach fail every time he's used it all season, I don't know.

I wasn't comfortable watching this all night and not just because I was languishing in the Anny Road instead of my usual seat in The Kop. At half time when George announced the scores, I shuddered to hear people laugh at Arsenal being a goal down to Dortmund when we looked nowhere near three points of our own.

Even when we scored, I was nervous because Ludogorets had given us a few scares already and I couldn't see us avoiding any more due to us being absolutely useless at shutting up shop. Sure enough they equalised and we only got out of jail thanks to Stevie converting what I'm told was a fairly generous pen following Manquillo going down in the area at The Kop end.

In short, I came out worried because, like the start of last season, we looked leggy and disjointed but without the reassurance of a genius waiting in the wings to mitigate against the dross. This was poor and it needs to improve immediately.

2. The defence is a mess

Look, I know it's early days and I'm all for giving players time but there is not a single member of the back five that doesn't have question marks hanging over him right now: Sakho looks imperious until he switches to complete indecision; Lovren looks rash, hits variable quality long diagonal balls, makes wild tackles and aerial challenges of the 50p 'ead variety; Moreno is young and over-eager, being caught nose-bleedingly far up the pitch for their goal with only minutes left on the clock tonight; and Manquillo mistimes the odd tackle and mis-controls the odd ball.

Throw a keeper in the mix who simply does not command his penalty area and you have a recipe for nerves - and nerves in a Liverpool defence is an invitation to nomark opposition forwards to score. As one did tonight.

I'm not saying any of them are poor players, but I am saying that they need to settle in, calm down and grow up very quickly or we'll drop more points in the league in what is already looking an even more competitive race for the top four than last year.

Talking to a mate after the game, he said he'd bring back established players who know the Rodgers way ASAP and I agree - especially at the back. Skrtel and Flanno would walk back into this team for me as not one of those currently in there looks a nailed on deserving starter right now.

I also think a deal for the ex-Barca keeper can't happen soon enough. We need a wise older head at the back and Valdes could be it.

3. Where do the new boys fit and what did Brendan have in mind when he bought them?

This insistence on going with one up front is now worrying me, especially when I look at the players we've brought in. It looks to me like Brendan had a switch in formation in mind when he was signing them as we look over-stocked with midfielders and under-stocked on goal scorers if we're sticking with what worked last season.

However, how is Lallana suited to playing on the edges of a front three and why would you want Sterling moved away from the edge of their penalty area when he's such a threat in the middle?

This season Brendan has some big questions to answer that are being posed by his larger squad and CL involvement: can he rotate effectively and can he address problems with less time on the training pitch to do so? I think he can - given time. However, what worries me is where we'll be by the time it all starts to click.

For me the change in formation gives opposing centre halves very little to worry about as they're doubling up on Balotelli. It also requires more from the woefully out of form Coutinho and, as I said, it pushes Sterling away from the danger areas.

Clearly Sturridge can't return soon enough, but in the meantime, we have to go two up front, get the more experienced lads back in (Joe Allen is looking as necessary as he has in his entire Liverpool career right now) and use the diamond that we know works a treat. Otherwise we'll drop points like flies as we adapt to a system that I'm not convinced suits our players anyway. If we had a Lukaku or Costa up front, I'd be all for it, but we haven't.

Sorry for the doom and gloom everyone - it's very unlike me. However, I think we've got a myriad of problems right now and we don't look anywhere near solving them. Come on Brendan lad - time to earn your corn.

Paul Natton