‘Huge say’ - Jamie Carragher makes Pep Lijnders point amid demand for Liverpool answers

Liverpool sit just sixth in the Premier League this season after losing 3-1 to Brentford.
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Jamie Carragher has questioned why Jurgen Klopp has changed Liverpool’s style of play.

The Reds’ troubles continued in the Premier League this season as they slumped to a 3-1 loss against Brentford in their first game of 2023.

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It was a result many fans felt was coming after under-par performances despite beating Aston Villa and Leicester City in their previous two matches.

Liverpool went close to claiming an unprecedented quadruple last campaign and were expected to again challenge for the Premier League title this time around. Yet the Reds find themselves sixth in the table and have a battle on their hands to finish in the Champions League places.

What’s been said

Carragher, speaking on Sky Sports, believes that Liverpool have morphed into a ‘technical’ team from the high-octane brand Klopp deployed after first arriving as Anfield boss. And the Kop legend wants to know why things have changed.

Carragher said: “I feel like we’re watching Jurgen Klopp when he first came to the club. It was always a problem when they’d have the ball, someone would sit deep and counter-attack them.

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“I don’t know what’s happened with Liverpool in terms of midfield. Liverpool have not bought a proper midfield player, they’ve bought one midfield player in four-and-a-half years - Thiago [Alcantara].

“It’s coming back to haunt them now and when I watch Liverpool now, certainly in midfield, it feels like Jurgen Klopp’s team are morphing into some technical team.

“The only team it reminds me of is when I used to play against Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. Yes, they were a great football team but their actual pace and physicality, teams couldn’t cope with. Then that team morphed into something technical and it never won (a league title) again.

“I don’t know if there’s an influence from Pep Lijnders, who is Jurgen Klopp’s No.2. He has a huge say as well, maybe a Dutch way of thinking, getting players on the ball. I don’t know or thinking Liverpool need to not reinvent themselves but tweaking things and changing things because maybe people are used to them.

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“For me, from minute one of Klopp’s era against Tottenham away, forget the quality of players, people were sprinting all over the pitch. What I don’t see Liverpool [doing now] is Liverpool sprinting and closing down - but they’re still playing this high line. It’s not a Jurgen Klopp team I’m watching now and I want to know why. I can’t work it out.”