“They are just not up to the job” – Former Liverpool star urges Klopp to axe underperforming duo

Former Liverpool player John Aldridge has told Jurgen Klopp to drop Adam Lallana and Naby Keita.

The pair was poor in the 1-1 draw against West Ham, and the dropped points have led to Manchester City overtaking us after their win over Everton.

The Reds dropped points against Leicester before the West Ham game, and Aldridge blamed the poor performances of the midfielders. He was quoted by Independent.ie (h/t Metro):

“Klopp’s side dropped more points at West Ham, but a bigger issue for me in both games has been the performance or lack of it from Liverpool’s midfielders.”

The former Red claimed our front three would give us the edge over other teams, but the players behind them did not do a good job against the Hammers.

Aldridge acknowledged the problems Klopp has faced regarding injuries, but he did not want to see Lallana and Keita start together in the midfield:

“I know Klopp was forced into changes due to injuries, but Adam Lallana and Naby Keita cannot play together in midfield again, as they are just not up to the job for a title-winning team.”

The former Red added that Lallana has been struggling to get into form after several injuries while Keita is yet to show his quality for the Reds.

The Guinea midfielder has started several games in recent weeks and probably needs more time to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League.

However, Aldridge does have a point in suggesting that the pair shouldn’t start together. Liverpool have been hit by injuries to Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, which has made our midfield lighter.

James Milner would have slotted into one of those roles but the Englishman played as the right-back in the draw against the Hammers.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have been injured for a while too, and it will be interesting to see who all return from their injuries for the clash against Bournemouth.