
Jamie Carragher believes the time has come to split up Liverpool’s front three.
Liverpool’s season will go down as nothing short of lacklustre after a failed title defence and no trophies to fight for entering the final month of the campaign.
While many Liverpool fans will point to the absence of Virgil van Dijk for the Reds’ struggles this season, Jamie Carragher is of the opinion that there are other concerns at his former club.
Carragher, who has not shied away from criticising the likes of Roberto Firmino this term, reckons Jurgen Klopp needs to introduce an extra ingredient to his side’s attacking triumvirate which, in recent years, has consisted of Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
“People have talked about the forward line being out of form, but it’s been too long now for that [to be used as an argument]. People keep talking about Liverpool’s problems at centre-back, but their biggest problem is at the other end of the pitch,” Carragher said on the Pitch to Post podcast.
“We know that both Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will be back next season. Liverpool’s famous front three, and rightly so, are still there. They’ve had the added bonus of Diogo Jota, who’s chipped in with a few goals, but I said this six months ago on Monday Night Football – the front three needed breaking up because no front three is ever together for this long.
“When you look at other great attacking partnerships and front threes from the past, they last probably three years and then you move on.
“Liverpool’s have been together for probably four or five years so it does need breaking up in the summer. That’s where Liverpool need to invest, as they do at centre-back of course.
“It’s actually quite similar to Manchester United, but that’s where Liverpool need to spend the money.
“The front three have been amazing but it’s just at that stage now where it needs something else and it must be rectified in the summer when you think of the chances that have been missed this season. You have to move with the times, and an extra bit of competition up front wouldn’t go amiss.”
LOI Arena.
LOI Arena is the new home for great League of Ireland discussion. Each week Con and Conan will take to the mic to analyse the highs and lows from the Greatest League in the World. The lads are joined by great guests each week who share a passion for all things LOI and Irish Football.
Episode 5 of LOI Arena is free to listen to here. Former Celtic, Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder Paul Byrne gave Con and Conan an incredibly raw account of the many highs and lows of his football career.
The podcast will form part of a new membership offering from Pundit Arena that focuses on Irish soccer fans for just €3.99 per month, less than a euro per week.
Fans can sign up or register to listen for free at https://punditarena.com/loiarena. You can also follow the show on Twitter and contact us via email at [email protected].