Liverpool's midfield isn't good enough to challenge for major honours, according to club legend Graeme Souness.
The Reds' nightmarish season continued on Saturday night with 2-1 loss to Leeds at Anfield, where Crysencio Summerville's 89th-minute winner condemned Jurgen Klopp's side to their fourth league defeat of 2022/23 already.
And for Souness, it's clear where Liverpool's major problem lies: in the middle of the park. Rotten injury luck certainly hasn't helped matter, but questions have been asked of the Reds' summer recruitment in that department (Arthur was their only midfield addition, joining on loan from Juventus).
Speaking to Sky Sports after Saturday's game, Souness said:
"They don't play with the same intensity. I think, in many instances tonight, Leeds were more than a match for what Liverpool had been doing to teams for years. They basically bullied teams, Liverpool; the midfield bullied teams.
"Now, they're being bullied in midfield; it's making them vulnerable at the back and they're not creating the same chances up front. Liverpool are a shadow."
Souness also expressed concern about the age of most of Liverpool's midfielders. He continued:
"When you look at the midfield: Thiago, 31; [Jordan] Henserson, 31; Fabinho, 29. After that, you've got Keita, 27, Oxlade-Chamberlain – who's been out injured – 29, Curtis Jones who's 21 and Harvey Elliott who is 19.
"If you go back to the start of the season, Jurgen [Klopp] must've looked at his midfield and though, 'We're vulnerable here' – because with the age group, the chances are they'll get muscle injuries. After that, you've got the two young boys.
"The Premier League is a hard league to play in and is a long, difficult nine months for you. To expect two young lads to come in and take you through when senior players are injured is a big ask.
"Harvey Elliott has played in almost all the games. I've said this since the start of the season: I felt the midfield is no longer the midfield that can get them into the position where they're going to win the big trophies."
Liverpool haven't made a permanent midfield signing since bringing in Thiago two years ago. They've also never directly replaced Georginio Wijnaldum, who was an integral component of their 2019/20 title-winning campaign.
The Reds host Napoli in the Champions League on Tuesday night, before returning to Premier League action at Tottenham next Sunday.
