Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes Manchester City are more worried about Liverpool who possess a better midfield than Arsenal. Scholes responded to Gary Neville’s opinion about the Reds midfielders making big strides this season despite their “lack of reputation”.
Neville has persistently downplayed Liverpool as the Premier League title contender compared to Arsenal and current title defender Man City. Nevertheless, the Reds have won 11 out of 12 games in all competitions since the start of the current season.
Furthermore, Liverpool have maintained a strong balance between the defence and their offence, scoring goals but keeping important clean sheets. The Reds are far from their best despite their success and have a lot of room for improvement this season.
Winning the games labelled as “winnable” while not playing at their best defines a successful season. Liverpool’s midfield has played a pivotal role in maintaining game control and dictating the tempo in and out of possession.
The Reds’ head coach Arne Slot’s tactics and style demand more control and patience buildup to enhance efficiency in play. Liverpool have maintained the structure and balance of the squad through these new tweaks while continuing their high-pressing attacking philosophy.
Speaking on Overlap’s Stick to Football (via YouTube), Scholes highlighted the quality of the midfield at Liverpool compared to Arsenal to counter Neville’s opinion about the team. He said:
“Although they [Liverpool] have still got six again [midfielders], any three of the six could play who can be brilliant, [Alexis] Mac Allister didn’t play at the weekend – how good has he been? I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s. I think Guardiola will be more worried about Liverpool than he is about Arsenal.”
Liverpool used the summer of 2023 under former manager Jurgen Klopp to revamp the midfield, signing several quality young players. Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo and Dominik Szoboszlai joined Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott in the new-look squad.
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These players played a pivotal role in the Reds’ success last season, which complacency and a severe injury crisis ultimately sabotaged. The idea that Neville believes Chelsea flop Moises Caicedo and last season’s injury-ridden Romeo Lavia are above World Cup winner Mac Allister in reputation sums up his downfall as a football pundit.
