Football pundit Gary Neville gave a baffling reason to downplay the title credential of Liverpool compared to Arsenal
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville provided a bemusing excuse to downplay the title credential of Liverpool compared to Arsenal. Neville highlighted the Reds’ need to strengthen the midfield in January to be competent title contenders for this season.
The reasoning makes no sense as Liverpool strengthened the midfield during the summer with new signings playing a pivotal role. The Reds signed Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo to bolster their midfield in the summer.
Despite the call for a specialist defensive midfielder, Mac Allister has done a competent job in the position. The Argentine’s makes-shift appearances in defensive midfield gave ample time to Endo to adjust to the pace under the tactics.
The Japan captain has produced some strong performances lately for Liverpool and acts as a very capable squad player. Furthermore, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has deployed Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield as a number six where he is thriving.
The Reds have on-form midfielders Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot who are giving continuous selection headache to Klopp. Fully-stacked midfield with the potential future shift to a defensive midfield role for Trent leaves no space for any signing. The situation can only change during the summer when Thiago’s contract expires, with the Spaniard yet to feature this season.
Neville told Sky Sports that Liverpool needs more midfield reinforcement to be a legitimate title contender like Arsenal. He said:
“I do think Arsenal are the only challengers for City, I never bought into the Liverpool thing before [Sunday]. It could happen just because of purely Jurgen Klopp, if they strengthen that midfield in January, but I feel Arsenal are a better team.”
Neville’s statement reeks of bias due to his allegiance with Liverpool’s bitter rivals Manchester United. The United legend tends to let his personal feelings about the Reds get the better of him at times.
However, Liverpool does need to address the issues brewing in the defence with Joel Matip’s season-long injury. The Reds would also benefit from a right-back signing to shift Trent permanently in the midfield as a number six.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold on Steven Gerrard being his 'perfect' role model pic.twitter.com/hPdPmZUiAh
Klopp has deployed Trent as an inverted right-back but we think the formation is hurting the overall balance. Without an overlapping fullback to stretch the defence, the middle part of the attacking third becomes congested. The Reds failed to carve United open in their 0-0 draw last Sunday despite dominating their historic rivals.
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Furthermore, the Reds have conceded the first goal in many games this season despite showing formidable defensive prowess. Addressing the lapse of concentration is as crucial as rectifying the lack of composure in the attacking third.
