Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has been vocal in his criticism of his former club this season.
The hard-hitting, no-nonsense midfielder made the move to Merseyside on this day in 1978 from Middlesbrough for £352,000. He went on to enjoy an illustrious career with the Reds, scooping a number of European and domestic honours. Now he is one of the game's leading pundits.
And the 69-year-old hasn't been shy to offer his verdict on Liverpool after a tumultuous campaign that has saw them fail to match expectations. There have been highs - the 1-0 home win over Manchester City for example - but mainly lows, including the recent 3-1 Premier League defeat at Brentford and 2-2 FA Cup draw at home to a struggling and under-strength Wolves.
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When the outspoken Scot weighs in with his opinion on an issue, it can be spiky and scathing. And here is some of what Souness has said this season on the Reds.
'Can’t do the pressing' - Midfield issues addressed
Souness took to his Daily Mail column in the aftermath of Liverpool's miserable loss to Brentford last Monday. The Reds went into that game on the back of four straight Premier League wins.
But their start to the calendar year was a sobering experience. Jurgen Klopp's side endured a torrid evening against the Bees and their hopes of a comeback, after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's goal halved the deficit, were extinguished when Bryan Mbuemo netted a third late on.
Souness wrote: "Jurgen Klopp’s reaction towards officials this season is borne more out of frustration. Monday’s 3-1 defeat at Brentford has left Liverpool 16 points off the top.
"I never would have believed that approaching the halfway stage. I thought this group of players had the belief they were good enough and it would only be a matter of time before they got their act together.
"It is a bit more worrying right now. It does not appear to be a blip, and Jurgen will be feeling that. His players are starting to argue among themselves, which isn’t a bad thing in isolation. But as they used to say to us: ‘Look in the mirror first, son, before you start pointing the finger at anyone else'.
"The club is desperately crying out for some big personalities and strong characters to pull the lesser lights through this difficult time. The high intensity that has defined their team is no longer there. Jurgen said very early on that he did not think they needed anything extra in midfield. I have insisted all along that they did.
"Thiago is a silky footballer but can’t do the pressing. Jordan Henderson does not have the energy he once did. Harvey Elliott would be better coming into a team that is winning. And Fabinho has been a good player, but he has always been no more than just a steady player for me."
'Unless they get new owners' - Jude Bellingham problem pinpointed
Jude Bellingham had gradually rose to the fore during his time at Borussia Dortmund but it was his role in Gareth Southgate's England side at the recent World Cup in Qatar that saw the Liverpool transfer target springboard to one of the hottest prospects in world football.
Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold struck up a public and seemingly flourishing friendship with Bellingham during the World Cup, which led Reds fans to hope that the teenage midfielder could turn down the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, despite all their financial firepower, in favour of a move to Anfield.
But Souness is not convinced. He said: "We don't have enough time [to discuss his quality], he is fabulous and is destined to be a star.
"He is getting a fantastic education at Dortmund, next year he will leave and the really big guys will come in, if it's a bidding war between Man City and Real Madrid, it's up to the boy where he ends up.
"You see everything a midfielder needs to have in him, wonderfully athletic, great size, it's hard to pick a fault in him, I think he will be an absolute star.
"I don't think he will end up at Liverpool, unless they get new owners we can't afford him. All the big guys will be after him."
'Liverpool are a shadow' - Reds slammed for home loss
Souness was left shocked by Liverpool's home loss to Leeds United in October.
Rodrigo handed struggling Leeds the lead, Mohamed Salah restored parity, before Crysencio Summerville etched his name in the White Rose folklore and sent the travelling fans into raptures with a late winner.
Souness said: "Leeds were a team playing under pressure. They didn’t play like a young team tonight, they played like a team that really believed in what they were going to do and believed they were going to get a result.
"You can say it was a lucky first goal, but that’s not the reason Liverpool lost the game, Liverpool were a country mile from where they were in the last few years; they don’t play with the same intensity.
"I think, in many instances tonight, Leeds were more than a match for what Liverpool had been doing to teams for years. They basically bullied teams Liverpool, the midfield bullied teams. Now they’re being bullied in midfield, it’s making them vulnerable at the back and they’re not creating the same chances up front. Liverpool are a shadow."
'Don't seem to have the same energy' - Napoli verdict
The Reds' start to the Premier League season saw them fall behind pacesetters Arsenal. And their indifferent form carried over into the Champions League as the six-time winner got their European campaign off to the worst possible start with a 4-1 loss at Napoli.
"The one non-negotiable part of winning football matches is being first to the ball. At the moment, Liverpool are not doing that. And that’s why they are a mile off the team we have known them to be in Jurgen Klopp’s time at the club," Souness wrote in his Daily Mail column.
"Liverpool’s success under Klopp has been built on a high-intensity pressing game, but that factor has been sorely lacking recently. Liverpool just don’t seem to have the same energy."
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