Mark Lawrenson: Liverpool need a player like this Man United regular
By Harvey Byrne
Former Liverpool defender and BBC pundit believes the current side is lacking a player like Manchester United’s Michael Carrick in their midfield.
The Reds have hit a poor spell of form since the turn of the year after starting the season magnificently.
They have not won a match in the Premier League since their New Years Eve 1-0 victory over Manchester City, suffering three draws and two losses since.
It has seen them drop out of the Champions League places in England’s top flight and Lawrenson believes the midfield is a particular weakness for the side.
Liverpool usually play with a midfield three consisting of Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum, but the outspoken pundit feels they need someone more of the ilk of United regular Carrick.
“What I think they need, and also have a more realistic chance of getting, is a player who compliments the ones they have already got, but can do the things that Henderson or Can cannot – which is control the tempo the team plays at,” wrote Lawrenson on the BBC Sport website.
“Rather than look for someone who can do it all, they actually need a player with more creativity to play alongside either Henderson or Can – and, at the moment, I would choose Henderson out of those two.
“Henderson covers the ground effectively and protects his back four, but I would like to see someone in there next to him with a little bit more guile on the ball, to use it more effectively.
“I am talking about a midfield player whose first touch is always to get the ball out of his feet and then be looking to play it forward if the pass is on.
“It’s a job Michael Carrick does so well for Manchester United. He does not look to bomb on himself, but he has the nous to play the right ball.
“At the moment, Henderson and Can get the ball and they get rid of it straight away. Sometimes they pass it forward, but a lot of the time it goes sideways.”
Carrick, 35, has been at United for 11 years, playing 445 times in all competitions for the Red Devils.
He is known for his calmness in the centre of the park as well as helping his side to maintain the possession without doing anything extraordinary.
The player most similar to him in the Liverpool team would be Henderson, but he is just of a lesser ability to that of the five time Premier League winner.
In other Liverpool news, this Reds 27-year-old is set to be axed against Tottenham.
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