Graeme Souness has ripped into Liverpool after their 2-1 defeat to Leeds on Saturday and named the players who no longer “have it in their legs” and need to be replaced.
Crysencio Summerville scored a last-gasp winner at Anfield to hand Liverpool their fourth defeat of the season and their first home loss for 19 months.
Mohamed Salah had levelled for the Reds after Joe Gomez gifted Rodrigo the opener.
Illan Meslier pulled off several top saved to deny Liverpool but Jurgen Klopp’s side looked fallible throughout and the result leaves them eight points off the top four after 12 games.
And Souness says Liverpool look a shadow of the side that came so close to the quadruples last season.
He said: “Liverpool are a country mile from what they were in the last few years.
“They don’t play with the same intensity. I think in many instances tonight, Leeds were more than a match for what Liverpool have been doing to teams for years.
“Liverpool used to bully teams, their midfield bullied teams. And now they’re being bullied.
“They still had enough chances to win the game, the man-of-the-match is a goalkeeper (Leeds stopper Meslier) – that does tell the story.
“Liverpool are not like the team we have seen for the last five years. They just don’t have the same intensity. They don’t have it in their legs anymore.”
Souness explained that it’s unreasonable to expect two inexperienced midfielders to carry them through games with many of Klopp’s favourites no longer capaple of maintaining the intensity Klopp desires.
Souness added: “I think when you look at the midfield. Thiago 31, Henderson 31, Fabinho 29. And after that you have Keita who is about 27, you have Oxlade-Chamberlain who is out and is injured at 29.
“You have Curtis Jones who is 21 and the other young player who started tonight Harvey Elliot is 19.
“Go back to start of the season, Jurgen said his midfield felt vulnerable because with the age group and the chances of injuries.
“We know it is a very hard league to play in and it’s a long nine months at times, so to expect the two young guys to come in and take you through most of the season is a big ask.
“I’ve said it since the start of the season, the midfield they have now is no longer the midfield that is going to win them the big trophies.”
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