Paul Scholes has claimed that defender Joe Gomez ‘hasn’t been great’, as he highlighted Liverpool’s injury problems for their poor start to the season.
Italian legend Gianfranco Zola added by saying that Jurgen Klopp’s side have lost their ‘physical predominance’ following Liverpool’s defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, as they told MatchDay Extra on Premier League Productions (22/10/22 at 8:40 pm).
Only last week, the Reds beat Manchester City 1-0 at Anfield, then backed it up with another three points against West Ham United in midweek.
It seemed as though the tide was turning, especially given that then bottom-of-the-table Nottingham Forest was next on their list.
But the same old Liverpool of this season turned up, error-prone individuals in defence, a lack of energy in midfield and then a lack of bite and ruthless nature in the final third.
Either way, this isn’t just worrying for the Reds, but very worrying, as Scholes and Zola shared their thoughts on the club’s issues this season.
“They have had so many injuries to Matip. Gomez, he has played and he’s not been great, even though he played well last week,” said Scholes. “Trent’s missed a lot of football. Jota, he’s out. They lost Mane, he was one of the top strikers in Europe. Nunez has taken time to adapt to English football.
“Thiago, we know what a brilliant footballer and playmaker he is and he picks up injuries. A very inexperienced midfield, other than Fabinho, there is Curtis Jones, who himself has been out for a long time. Young Harvey Elliott. I think he’s a good player and a good footballer. I think he will get better, the more he plays.”
Zola added: “One thing that catches your eye when you watch Liverpool is that they are always physically dominant. It’s not that the team tactically doesn’t make mistakes, even in defending sometimes they leave spaces behind.
“They have such a physicality that they can recover from mistakes. This is something from the times that I have seen them play this year, I didn’t see. Their predominance, their physical predominance, it was like an edge they had on the opposition, so far, I don’t see it. Maybe it’s a matter of time. Maybe they have worked hard in pre-season and they aren’t where they should be. What I don’t see is that predominance that made Liverpool such a difficult team.”
WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?
As per is with Liverpool, the games are coming thick and fast, especially with the 2022 World Cup fast approaching.
Klopp will want to enter that break with fewer questions and more answers, but at this moment in time, it seems as though there might need to be wholesale changes for when the transfer window re-opens, not just in January, but next summer.
In the meantime, the Merseyside club will travel to Holland on Wednesday night to take on the Eredivisie champions, Ajax, where a win and even a draw, would send them to the knockout stages.
And whilst the Reds have struggled on the road this season, on home soil they have done the business, as they face off against struggling Leeds United on Saturday.
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