Hansen said: “Eleven points off the pace and with the big three slipping further away, it looks all over as early as October for Liverpool’s pursuit of the Premiership.
“You see problems throughout the side and it is up to Rafa Benitez to sort them.
“The manager took the plaudits when Liverpool won the Champions League and the FA Cup and it is up to him to take decisive action when things are not going well.
“There is plenty for him to consider. His goalkeeper, Jose Reina, produced one world-class save from Louis Saha but recently he has made many errors of judgment.
“There are serious problems with the back four. The time to rotate players is generally when you are winning but the one area you should be wary of rotating is your defence.
“The game may have changed since I played but what is still true is that centre-backs do less running and more talking to each other than any other players.
“It is an absolutely crucial area that depends on understanding and reading your partner’s game. As a manager, you would be looking to play the same back four 20 times on the trot, not split them up.”
He added: “If you want to consider yourself one of the country’s top clubs you cannot continue to keep looking to a single player for inspiration.”
