Liverpool have been ‘papering over the cracks’ for MONTHS – and their regular ‘slow starts’ are ‘nowhere near good enough’, says Steve McManaman… as Paul Ince questions Jurgen Klopp’s use of Harvey Elliott in midfield
- Liverpool continued their poor form with a loss to Manchester United on Monday
- Steve McManaman claimed good results have been ‘papering over the cracks’
- He claimed Liverpool’s vulnerabilities are now being exposed in games
- Paul Ince meanwhile has questioned Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s decisions
Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman has claimed Liverpool were ‘nowhere near good enough’ in their 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Monday, suggesting results last season ‘papered over the cracks’ of some worrying signs.
The Reds suffered their first defeat of the season at Old Trafford after goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford earned United a deserved lead, and Mo Salah’s late header wasn’t enough to get Liverpool back into the game.
Speaking to Optus Sport via the Liverpool Echo, McManaman criticised Liverpool’s regular slow starts, claiming it was ‘only a matter of time’ before the Reds were caught out.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has seen his side endure a poor start to the season
Liverpool have suffered a severe dip in form and are 16th in the league table after three games
‘Last season when they went behind they were winning games so that papered over the cracks to an extent,’ said McManaman, who made 175 appearances for Liverpool.
‘Fulham they were slow, started great against Manchester City but subsequently they’ve started slow every time, you knew after five or 10 minutes they were in trouble and at the races.
‘It was only a matter of time they were going to get caught and when they did get caught that’s when it’s “uh oh, we need to sharpen up” but it’s too late in games.
‘These games are more than just playing nice and scoring goals, this is Liverpool versus Manchester United, last season Liverpool battered them and got all the glory, they have to take it because they were nowhere near good enough.
‘All that matters is the result and Liverpool are languishing at the bottom of the league. They’ll get out of it, but they’ve got two points out of a possible nine which is a massive…