Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has told Reds boss Jurgen Klopp that he should consider dropping four players from his starting XI, with their 2-2 FA Cup third round draw against Wolves representing another disappointing result.
The Reds were unable to immediately book their place in round four at Anfield, with individual mistakes from Thiago and Alisson leading to Wolves’s opening goal.
They then levelled when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s inch-perfect lofted through ball was met on the volley by Darwin Nunez, before Mohamed Salah put them ahead with a composed finish early in the second half.
.png)
But Wolves levelled the scores through Hwang Hee-Chan, who squeezed the ball underneath Alisson, and thought they had won it when defender Toti flicked in following a corner.
However, corner taker Matheus Nunes was ruled to be narrowly offside by the assistant, with VAR unable to overturn due to a lack of camera angles, and the Reds held on to secure a draw.
Prior to the game, Souness was critical of Klopp’s side, who failed to bounce back from Monday’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League.
Souness tells Klopp to drop Reds stars
Writing in his Daily Mail column, Souness advised Klopp to consider the futures of four of his current first-team stars – and all four of them are midfielders.
Addressing their current issues, the one-time European Cup winner stated: “I thought this group of players had the belief they were good enough. and it would only be a matter of time before they got their act together.
“It is a bit more worrying now. It does not appear to be a blip, and Jurgen will be feeling that.
“His players are starting to argue among themselves, which isn’t a bad thing in isolation. But, as they used to say to us: ‘Look in the mirror first, son, before you start pointing the finger at anyone else’.”
Souness then pointed out what he thinks Klopp must to do to push Liverpool back up the table: “The club is desperately crying out for some big personalities and strong characters to pull the lesser lights through this difficult period. The high intensity that has defined their team is no longer there.
“Jurgen said very early on that he did not think they needed anything extra in midfield. I have insisted all along that they did.
“Thiago is a silky footballer but can’t do the pressing. Jordan Henderson does not have the energy he once did. Harvey Elliott would be better coming into a team that is winning. And Fabinho has been a good player, but he has always been no more than that.”
Liverpool currently sit in sixth position in the Premier League, and are seven points off the top four places. They are 16 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
Klopp is also contending with a significant injury list, with Virgil van Dijk’s hamstring injury placing him on the sidelines alongside the likes of Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and James Milner.
