Premier League legend and television pundit Graeme Souness has hit out at Liverpool’s midfielders for failing to create enough chances as the Merseyside derby ended in a goalless stalemate, saying ‘They don’t create too much… they’ve scored five goals this season’.
The disappointing result for the Reds sees them fall behind Manchester City in the title race for the first time since December with both teams having played the same amount of games. While many will point the blame at the spurned chances from Liverpool’s front three, Souness lambasted the midfielders for not contributing enough at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon.
Souness said on Sky Sports after the game: ‘They’ve [Liverpool] got a fabulous midfield, in terms of if you’re playing in Liverpool’s back four right now, that’s the midfield you want. If you’re playing up front that’s maybe not the midfield you want. They don’t create too much, they don’t slip clever or cute passes in. That’s where they’re coming unstuck. From five out-and-out midfield players, they’ve scored five goals this season, that ain’t enough. I worry for them now. When you go back to where they were, the draw against Leicester and West Ham, in the same week Newcastle beat Manchester City – that was their opportunity. But now we’re here with City in the driving seat.’
The former Liverpool skipper then questioned what Naby Keita has brought to the table since arriving from Leipzig last summer. Souness continued: ‘When you look at Keita, he’s not done anything for them different to what they already have. I think they expected more in terms of creating things and finishing things. The one they tried to get from Lyon, [Nabil] Fekir, who is a goalscorer and more of an attacking type. That tells you where [Jurgen] Klopp saw his weakness at the start of the season.
‘He felt that the midfield I’ve got are all great types, all workaholics will never let me down when you ask them to do the hard yards, but in terms of getting the ball and looking one way and playing cute and clever passes. The Silva’s [Bernardo and David] that City have, [Kevin] De Bruyne, they have a lot of class when push comes to shove when they get in the last third, that decides games like this. The very special players decide big games. Liverpool haven’t got that type of player. It’s easy to point the finger at the front three, but people have to provide for you, and I don’t think they’re getting the chances from the midfield.’
