Jamie Carragher says that Liverpool need a centre-half, a central midfielder and a forward player to boost their ‘jaded’ team.
The former Reds centre-half highlighted just how much football Liverpool’s first-choice XI have played over the last three years in which Liverpool have won the Champions League and Premier League.
The bulk of that team played on Sunday as they lost 4-1 to Manchester City. You can read 16 Conclusions on that game here.
“Initially, when Jurgen Klopp came in, Liverpool were a team who were sixth or seventh,” Carragher said on Monday Night Football.
“His first summer he brought in three players – Joel Matip, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Sadio Mane. That then took them into the Champions League.
“Over the next 12 months he then brought in Mohamed Salah in the summer, Virgil van Dijk in the January and Alisson on the back of the 2018 Champions League final. That then took them on again, to the Champions League win and the title.
“I think Liverpool are back at that stage where they need those three players to come in again to give them that jolt.”
“That back four, it’s still the same two full-backs, Van Dijk when he’s fit plays. Dejan Lovren has moved on but Matip would have played that final if he was fit, and Joe Gomez was at the club.
“The midfield two is still Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson, first choice, and James Milner has played the last four or five games as well. That’s the one area where Liverpool did bring someone in, it was Fabinho. So we are talking about one player [coming in].
“And then you’ve got the front three.
“It’s still the same team that’s been together for three years.
“When you look at the percentage of Premier League minutes played from August 2018, this is a team that have gone to the well for three years and produced unbelievable moments, trophies for this club. And that’s why I find it a little bit hard to be too critical of what I’m seeing at the minute.
“This is not an attitude thing. This is not a team who think, ‘We’ve won the league, we’ve made it’. They just haven’t stopped for three years. That’s why I say they need a little bit of help.
“People say, ‘Well, Jurgen doesn’t rotate’. Liverpool haven’t got the quality of squad and back up of other clubs. Liverpool wouldn’t have won the trophies they have done over the last two or three years if he’d rotated.
“I still think they will be back – but they need three players.
“They need a centre-back – maybe he’s joined now in Ozan Kabak – they need someone to replace Wijnaldum, and they need someone in the front three.
“And I’m not talking about players on the bench. I’m talking about players to come into the team like Matip, Wijnaldum, and Mane did, like Salah, Van Dijk, and Alisson. That’s what Liverpool need.”
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