Jamie Carragher has compared Liverpool to the Arsenal teams that struggled under Arsene Wenger after Brentford condemned them to a chastening 3-1 defeat on Monday night.
The Bees, who were without talisman Ivan Toney, had plenty of joy against Liverpool's beleaguered defence and took a deserved lead in the 19th minute when the ball deflected into the goal off of Ibrahima Konate from a corner. Moments after having a strike rule out, Yoane Wissa doubled Brentford's advantage on the stroke of half-time. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored early in the second-half but Bryan Mbeumo killed the game with a clinical finish in the final minutes.
Liverpool's performance left Carragher, who was analysing and commentating on the match, deeply concerned - and he insisted that Jurgen Klopp's side need to address their midfield issues.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Carragher compared Klopp's side to the Arsenal teams that struggled to win trophies during the latter years of Wenger's storied tenure.
He said: “I feel like we are watching Jurgen Klopp when he first came to the club. In the first couple of the seasons, that was always the problem, someone would sit deep and then counter on them.
“But I don’t know what’s happened in terms of midfield. Liverpool haven’t bought a midfield player - well one player, Thiago - in four years and it’s coming back to haunt them now. And when I watch Liverpool now, it feels like Jurgen Klopp’s team is morphing into a technical team.
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“The only team it reminds me of is when I used to play against Arsenal under Arsene Wenger. Yes, they were a great footballing team, but their pace and physicality [teams] couldn't cope with. And then that team morphed into something technical and they never won again.”
Liverpool have been tipped to revamp their midfield next season after focusing on other areas of their squad in the summer. But that stance appears to have softened in the wake of their indifferent season; Klopp's side are now 15 points behind Arsenal, who are currently top of the league with a game in hand on the Reds.
Already, Liverpool have acquired PSV Eindhoven hotshot Cody Gakpo and now the Reds are reportedly poised to rekindle their interest in Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes, who was heavily linked with a move to Anfield in the summer before his switch to the Midlands.
According to The Telegraph, the Reds could capture the 24-year-old for around £44million this month - a fee that makes the Portuguese playmaker far more attainable than other targets such as Jude Bellingham and Enzo Fernandez, who would both likely cost in excess of £100m.
