Graeme Souness blasts Liverpool transfer plan and points out three players who are being ‘bullied’
Former Liverpool captain Graeme Souness has launched a scathing attack against the Reds’ midfield, claiming that Jurgen Klopp’s squad can no longer compete in the center of the field.
And the three-time European Cup champion believes that midfield reinforcements should have arrived at Anfield last summer after the club’s pursuit of AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni failed.
Saturday afternoon at Molineux, Liverpool suffered their seventh loss of the Premier League season, a rout at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Five minutes in, Joel Matip deflected the ball past Alisson Becker and into his own net, continuing Liverpool’s reputation as the league’s slowest starters.
Minutes later, January signing Craig Dawson doubled the hosts’ lead when he capitalized on a dreadful defensive effort by Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, and Alisson to slam home inside the penalty area.
Deep in the second half, captain Ruben Neves completed the humiliation by finishing off a sublime counterattack, leaving Liverpool tenth in the Premier League table.
Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara, and Stefan Bajcetic were selected over Harvey Elliott, Jordan Henderson, and Fabinho (ill) for the match in the West Midlands.
Only the 18-year-old Spaniard left the field with any credit, as his two starting partners endured a miserable afternoon.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Super Sunday coverage on Sunday, Souness admitted his former team is too easy to play against in the middle of the field, citing the tenacity of Wijnaldum, Fabinho, and Henderson as the foundation of their Premier League and Champions League success.
“A year ago they should have been looking at midfield players to buy last summer,” he said. “A year ago, this was starting to show itself, the midfield. The best midfield they had was Wijnaldum, Henderson and Milner – high energy, not technically brilliant, but just high energy and they bullied players.
“They won it high up and they’d give it to the lads, the front three, and they’d go from there. Their’s is not a problem that is easily solved right now because you’re looking at the midfield of Keita, the young Spanish boy and Thiago, and they’re getting bullied, and if you’re getting bullied in there you’re on the back foot most of the time.”
Liverpool’s midfield has been the subject of nearly every post-match discussion this season, with Fabinho and Henderson’s form having plummeted since the conclusion of last season’s quadruple bid.
Elliott has been included in every matchday squad this season despite his 19-year-old age due to Naby Keita’s persistent battle for fitness.
Prior to the conclusion of the previous season, Liverpool attempted to sign Tchouameni, but the France international chose to join Real Madrid instead. After Henderson suffered an injury against Newcastle United, Liverpool completed the loan signing of Arthur Melo on the final day of the summer transfer window, but the Brazilian has only played 13 minutes for Liverpool this season and was recently removed from the club’s Champions League squad for the second half of the season.
Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Keita are all out of contract in the summer, and the Reds are expected to finally pursue their interest in English midfielder Jude Bellingham of Borussia Dortmund.
The team’s next game is against Everton in a week’s time.
Graeme Souness blasts Liverpool transfer plan and points out three players who are being ‘bullied’
