The former defender assessed Liverpool’s chances of winning the title.
According to Jamie Carragher, Liverpool won’t be able to challenge Manchester City for the championship this year.
The Red drew 1-1 away to Luton Town on Sunday, their fourth point loss of the season. The hosts consistently posed a threat on the break at Kenilworth Road. It was difficult for Liverpool to cut through the Hatters’ low block or thwart Luton’s advances.
On the other hand, City easily defeated a team that was in danger of relegation on Saturday, defeating Bournemouth 6-1. It was a weekend that might have brought out the differences between the teams, and Carragher believes that City has a significant advantage in the title game because of their capacity to thwart counterattacks and create opportunities when in possession.
The former Liverpool defender said on Sky Sports, “I think what Liverpool have had in the last 18 months, they’re a lot better at it this season, but they still are not as good as Manchester City in stopping counter attacks.” Liverpool is a team that dominates possession and has a lot of the ball, but people often associate them with their style of play—pressing from the front.
“However, they don’t possess the ball quite as well as Manchester City, which leads to more turnovers and ball losses. Apart from the goal, Luton lacked the quality to truly hurt Liverpool as opponents were able to exploit gaps in defense more frequently.
In addition, Carragher stated that Liverpool is deficient in two crucial areas: “Liverpool’s midfield has improved from last season, but they still lack a top holding midfield player—[Alexis] MacAlister is not a top holding midfield player.” “He’s got good receiving skills, but he struggles mightily on defense and lacks some necessary speed for that position. They still have room to grow, in my opinion.
“I believe they could use a great defender who can play a few positions in the back four, rather than a player for a specific position. We believed that Joe Gomez would be more formidable defensively, so he was chosen to start at left back today instead of Kostas Tsimikas.
“I still believe Liverpool could use a similar player at right-back and release Trent [Alexander-Arnold] at different times, maybe into midfield, where you could play someone there who is stronger and more resilient defensively against certain opponents.”
“I don’t think Liverpool is currently prepared to win the league.” Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool supporters, I believe, are aware of this. They want to return to the top four, but they need a top-tier defender and another midfielder to be a formidable opponent.
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