JAMIE CARRAGHER has held his hands up over a poor start to the season – but vowed to help Liverpool toughen up their soft centre.

Having gained a reputation for their defensive mean streak in recent years, Rafael Benitez’s side have kept just four clean sheets in 11 games this season. Only two shut-outs have come in eight Premier League games, with Liverpool shipping 12 goals in that period.

Carragher himself has attracted some fierce criticism following a series of below-par performances.

But the 31-year-old is adamant he and the defence as a whole will improve over the coming weeks. He said: “We aren’t playing well as a back four and I’m not playing well personally. I need to hit better form and hopefully that will come in the next few games. Over the last five or six years we have been renowned as a team who have kept a lot of clean sheets and for keeping it tight. I think that’s why we get a bit more criticism because people don’t expect it of Liverpool – and rightly so.

“We take the plaudits when things are going well so you have to take the criticism when it’s not going well.

“I know I need to improve myself and we also need to improve as a team.”

Benitez believes he saw signs during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Chelsea that Carragher and centre-back partner Martin Skrtel are close to recapturing their form.