Murphy says Liverpool need more creative midfielders – is he right?

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Danny Murphy thinks Liverpool need more creativity in he middle to compete with Manchester City and Manchester United.

The BBC pundits (L-R) Paul Scholes, part owner of Salford City and former players Danny Murphy and Trevor Sinclair talk prior to the Emirates FA Cup Second Round match.

Ex-Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says his former club need more creative options in the middle of the park and will have to delve into the transfer market to solve the issue.

Murphy was speaking after seeing the Reds beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 in the Premier League, but struggled to breakthrough in the first half at Anfield.

Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum (2nd L) celebrates with teammates after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match against Huddersfield Town.

“I think the difference with Liverpool trying to compete with United, City, teams like that, when they don’t have their full eleven – I’m talking [Sadio] Mane, [Philippe] Coutinho, [Adam] Lallana, good players – they lack that little bit of creativity in the middle of the pitch,” the 40-year-old said as a pundit on Match Of The Day.

“I think they still need some more additions there. They need someone in the middle to dictate play.”

Philippe Coutinho of Liverpool looks dejected after Tottenham Hotspur’s third goal during the Premier League match.

Much has been made of the Merseysiders’ poor defensive record and lack of options at centre-back in particular, but they are arguably at their strongest in central midfield.

Captain Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum – who also scored – started in a three-man system in the middle against the Terriers.

Emre Can was brought off the bench, while Marko Grujic and the aforementioned Coutinho and Lallana can also operate more deeply. Finally, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain moved to the club from Arsenal over the summer because he believed he would get more of a chance in central midfield, even if manager Jurgen Klopp has since said that won’t be happening in the near future.

So with eight potential options for Klopp in the position, is Murphy correct with his assessment that the German still needs to sign more midfielders?