Dietmar Hamann feels the Reds lack the ‘steel’ and ‘tactical knowledge’ in the middle of the park required to sustain a challenge for the Premier League crown.
Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann has questioned the club’s Premier League title credentials, claiming they lack important qualities in the middle of the park.
The Reds have made a promising start to their 2016-17 campaign, sitting just four points off the pace after 14 fixtures.
Jurgen Klopp’s side remain the division’s highest scorers and have suffered only two defeats so far. Naijabet.com
They are also free of European distractions, which could work in their favour when the fixtures start to stack up over the second-half of the season.
Hamann, though, believes that they will struggle to sustain a challenge for the top-flight crown as they are not ‘nasty’ enough, with Klopp’s squad missing the ‘steel’ and ‘tactical knowledge’ boasted by many of their rivals.
He said: “Game management has been lacking at the club for a couple of years and the fact that there’s no holding midfielder in that system is wrong.
“It puts a question over their title credentials. Liverpool need someone who steadies things, offers balance and provides the solidity to commit players forward. Throughout the team they lack a little bit of steel.
“[Granit] Xhaka brings it to Arsenal, [N’Golo] Kante and [Nemanja] Matic offer it to Chelsea. Man City are in a similar position to Liverpool, they’re missing that toughness in the centre of the park as well.
“You can’t play end-to-end football and win the Premier League, it’s not what top teams do.
“Emre Can is attack-minded and Jordan Henderson likes to get around the pitch, but they’ve not got enough tactical knowledge in the middle of the park to compete at the very top.
“There’s times when you need to be nasty.”
Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday when West Ham pay a visit to Anfield.
The Reds will be looking to get back to winning ways against the struggling Hammers and flush last weekend’s dramatic 4-3 defeat away at Bournemouth out of their system.
