Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted his side’s defending from set-pieces continued to cause concern following their 1-0 Champions League defeat at Basel.
Marco Streller pounced to fire the only goal of a disappointing Group B encounter in the 52nd minute after the visitors failed to deal with a home corner.
Conceding goals from set-pieces has been Liverpool’s undoing this season, and Rodgers admitted something needed to be done sooner rather than later.
“We didn’t start great and I don’t think we were very good technically tonight, certainly for the first 25 minutes,” Rodgers told Sky Sports 5 after Liverpool’s first defeat to Swiss opposition in 10 matches.
“Once we started to combine and pass the ball we created some very good openings. I think we had enough chances to at least get something from the game.
"But we defended very, very poorly on the corner and it's not the first time so it's very, very disappointing we couldn't get something from the game and the game was decided by a poor defensive corner.
"I think it (set-piece defending) is something we continue to talk about and look at and analyse but you have to deal with it on the field and the key to defending is your first contact with the ball and we continually don't do that enough.”
Mario Balotelli struggled to break the shackles of the home defence and often cut an isolated figure up front in the sole striker role as he failed to score for the fourth straight game.
But Rodgers defended the Italian’s work-rate, adding: "He worked hard, (but) needs to do more. He will be judged on what he creates and what he scores and he didn't score.
"The boy is trying, he is working hard."
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