Man Utd defeat proves Liverpool have been too cocky in the transfer market
Cameron Smith
- 23 Aug 2022 11:25 BST
- 4 min read
Defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford has left Liverpool in 16th place in the Premier League, and without a win in their opening three games.
Jurgen Klopp's men are already five points behind Manchester City, and while they aren't out of the title race at this incredibly early stage, it's worth noting that Pep Guardiola's side only won the Premier League by one point last season - the margins are so fine at the top that any slip-ups are costly.
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So, Liverpool's early season form could come back to bite them by the time May rolls around, especially as Arsenal and Tottenham both look strong as well.
Injuries have plagued the Reds' start to the season, with Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Diogo Jota among the names to miss the loss to Man Utd, along with Darwin Nunez, who served the first of his three game suspension for headbutting Joachim Andersen in the draw against Crystal Palace.
Of course, an injury crisis was the direct cause of Liverpool's poor 2021-22 season, and it seems as though history is repeating itself. However, this can be blamed far more on Klopp and the owners than before.
Why? Because there's a glaring issue in their squad that FSG and Klopp refuse to address - the midfield.
The Liverpool boss has repeatedly stressed in press conferences that he doesn't need any more midfield acquisitions, with the plentiful supply of options available to him enough to get the job done.
However, while he does have a large array of options in midfield, many are injury prone, such as Thiago, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while some just aren't good enough.
Have Liverpool become too cocky?
While Man City have plugged the holes in their squad this summer, in a striker, central midfielder, left-back and back-up goalkeeper, Liverpool have failed to address an obvious problem.
Nunez was of course signed as Sadio Mane's replacement and has endured an up-and-down start to life at Anfield, but the midfield hasn't been looked at, and Klopp's ignorance to fix this problem has cost Liverpool already.
While Jordan Henderson has previously been a key member of Liverpool's side, he is no longer up to standard and is a player that needs to be fazed out of the team. The same can be said for James Milner, who can't be relied upon for anything more than squad minutes.
The pair both started in the defeat to Man Utd, meaning that in their last 15 games starting together against any of the 'big-six' in the Premier League or in the Champions League, Henderson and Milner have won just four games.
That record is beyond poor, and shows how the two Englishman are no longer capable of controlling a midfield together.
Aurelien Tchouameni was explored before Real Madrid landed him, while Jude Bellingham is also a reported target, although Los Blancos also look set to go big for him next summer.
Either way, Liverpool have remained static in midfield and perhaps slightly too cocky in their ability to continue challenging year-on-year.
But, Fabinho and Thiago, when fit, need a world-class third midfielder alongside them, and Henderson no longer fits that brief. Trent Alexander-Arnold's threat has been miniscule so far this season, so not having a right-sided midfielder that helps with ball progression and chance creation is cast into even more of the limelight without the Englishman performing.
It's time FSG invest in a quality midfielder, otherwise Liverpool will feel the consequences.
Read more about: Premier League, Liverpool
