Liverpool are ‘not Jurgen Klopp’s team’ at the moment, according to Jamie Carragher, who quipped about the Reds’ lackluster performance in Monday’s loss to Brentford.
Thomas Frank’s well-deserved 3-1 victory for the Bees further exacerbated the problems of the Merseyside team, who have struggled to regain last season’s highs this season.
Since resuming their campaign following the conclusion of the World Cup last month, Liverpool have crashed out of the EFL Cup and reeled to Premier League victories over Aston Villa and Leicester City.
A defeat to a vibrant Brentford team leaves them four points ahead of the top four in the Premier League and Carragher feels they no longer have the characteristics of their award-winning manager.
“That’s been Liverpool’s theme all season long,” the former Reds defender told Sky Sports. “As soon as the intensity of the game increases, they fail.
“They need to play a slower game because once it goes fast they don’t race, they can’t keep up with it.
“When I watch Liverpool now and of course midfield, it seems to me that Jurgen Klopp’s team is turning into something else.
“For me, since the first minute of the Klopp era, teams have been running all over the pitch. If I don’t see Liverpool speeding up and shutting down now, this is not Jurgen Klopp’s team and I want to know why.”
I haven’t watched Klopp’s team for most of this season, now it’s a team that can’t handle the intensity of the opposition. It reminds me of Wenger’s Arsenal, which went from a powerful and fast team to a technical one. In defense it is ruins. #BRELIV
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) January 2, 2023
Liverpool have already been looking to bolster their ranks with the signing of Cody Gakpo, but Carragher maintains attacking power is not their primary concern and demands the midfielder’s arrival.
“I don’t know what happened to Liverpool in terms of midfield,” he added. “[They] bought one midfielder in four and a half years at Thiago [Alcantara]. It’s coming back to haunt them now.
“They signed Cody Gakpo. [but] If Liverpool think they can get into the top four without signing a midfielder in this window, they don’t stand a chance.”
