Sky Sports expert says Brendan Rodgers' side lacks leaders
Saturday 20 September 2014 20:22, UK
Jamie Redknapp says the lack of leaders – and Luis Suarez – in Liverpool’s team means they have no chance of winning the Premier League.
Brendan Rodgers’ side finished second last season, but sold star striker Suarez to Barcelona over the summer and brought in a number of new signings including Dejan Lovren, Adam Lallana and Mario Balotelli.
Redknapp believes those players have failed to click in Liverpool’s opening matches of the new campaign and after watching them slip to a third league defeat at West Ham he said the club should set their sights on finishing fourth, rather than first.
He told Saturday Night Football: “I don’t put Liverpool in the equation to win the title, I never have to be honest.
“I never did because as soon as they lost one of the best players in the world and the best player in the Premier League last season it makes it impossible.
“When you bring players in then it does take a little bit of time for them to bed in and settle. Defensively, bringing in Lovren is going to be a really good signing, but he’s really struggling to find his way in the Premier League playing for Liverpool.
“For them to get into the top four should be the aim for this year. The title? No chance. Not when you haven’t got Suarez in your team. He was such a difference and he made everything seem possible last year.
“I still feel there’s got to be more leaders in that team and they have to do better. I just think the top four is probably where they’re at at this moment.”
Martin Skrtel was restored to the team for Saturday game, but was unable to prevent Winston Reid bundling home West Ham’s opener from a free-kick within 90 seconds.
And former Reds midfielder Redknapp says the sloppy nature of the goal set the tone for another poor performance.
“That just isn’t good enough,” he added.
“Somebody there has to be taking responsibility to say ‘you pick him up’. Even as the goal goes in I didn’t see any leaders in there. I didn’t see anybody saying ‘we’ve got to change that’.
“That just epitomised the whole game for Liverpool. Last year they were so good and so organised.
“That’s nothing to do with tiredness and nothing to do with the Champions League, it’s just to do with people not doing their jobs.
“We talk so much in football about different systems, but sometimes it’s much more simple than that.
“It’s about winning your individual battles, it’s about marking men from corners, it’s about winning second balls and doing the right thing.
“Liverpool, today, hardly won a tackle and that was the difference. Every time the ball bounced a West Ham player was on it and they fully deserved the result today.”
