Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher has recently shared his opinion on Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Manchester City at Anfield by claiming that the Reds need a creative player in midfield who can unlock defences. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said, “If Liverpool are in a really good position in January, I think they’ve got to be looking to address that [midfield area],”
“It’s not even necessarily having someone who comes in and plays every single game. They just haven’t even got anyone like that in the squad. Adam Lallana is too injury prone.
“Even if Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain comes back, [Naby] Keita goes in or Fabinho goes in they are all the same. Liverpool don’t play with a No 10, but there’s no David Silva or Bernardo Silva or a player like that in the squad.
“I’m not talking about that player playing every week. It’s just the fact of having someone like that in the squad to turn to when you feel you need that player.”
Carragher makes some valid points about the Merseyside club’s need to sign a creative player to operate in the number 10 position. It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp’s side are not firing on all cylinders this season, but they have also not created enough chances against Napoli and Man City which should be a cause for significant concern.
The fact that the Reds just had two shots on target versus City on Sunday proves that Klopp needs a facilitator in midfield who can create chances for the front players to feed on. The likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah are brilliant at getting behind the opposition defence so they should concentrate on doing just that while someone else can pull strings from midfield.
Another possible solution for Klopp could be to deploy Roberto Firmino in a deeper role in midfield as he is exactly the type of player who can play in the number 10 position and open up the opposing defences. The Brazilian forward has a keen eye for a telling pass which is why the role of a creative midfielder might serve him best going into the future.
Klopp could opt to play Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri on the flanks while Mohamed Salah can spearhead the Liverpool attack up top. Having said that, the Reds would rather use Firmino as a forward as his off-the-ball pressing is of the highest standard. Thus, we can conclude that Carragher is correct by claiming that Liverpool needs to bring in a creative midfielder if they want to challenge City for the Premier League title this season.
