Pundit claims Liverpool lack ‘courage’ without key midfielder as Klopp searches for goalscoring solution

Danny Murphy has suggested that Liverpool lack ‘courage’ to break teams down when they are without some of their key creators.

Liverpool lost their third Premier League game of the season over the weekend at the hands of Nottingham Forest.

Despite taking 15 shots, Liverpool looked blunt in the final third and struggled to break Forest down.

The result now means that Jurgen Klopp’s side have dropped points in seven of their opening 11 Premier League matches this season.

At this stage of last season, Liverpool had already accumulated 22 points, which is six more than they currently have.

Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy thinks that Liverpool have struggled without Thiago Alcantara and Trent Alexander Arnold.

The pundit told Match of the Day: “Once you take Thiago and Trent out of that XI, you don’t have anyone with that courage to keep looking up and split a packed defence,’ Murphy told Match of the Day.

‘Trent played midweek so maybe he [Klopp] didn’t want to risk him, but I think there is an argument to suggest strengthening the midfield.

“Klopp had no choice but to play the kids [Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones], and there was bad luck with the forwards being injured as well.”

Thiago is a popular player at Anfield, but his injury record has often hampered his consistency.

The Spanish midfielder picked up a hamstring injury on the opening gameweek of the Premier League season. He had since returned to the side but missed the weekend’s game due to an ear infection.

In total, he has started in five Premier League matches this season and Liverpool are almost definitely a better team with him starting.

After the Nottingham Forest defeat, Klopp reaffirmed that Liverpool only had themselves to blame.

“That’s why you have to feel it. It’s a big blow for us because we wanted to get the three points.

“I can’t explain the result, not really. This game was decided in six or seven situations, the set-pieces they used and the set-pieces we didn’t use. It was a difficult game.

“They are not in a great situation and it was a super intense week for us, we had to change (the team) late. We had to put in a big fight and the boys did. It was intense, six days, three games and a limited squad. I really thought we made a real fight of it.

“We were lacking runs in behind, vision in the centre and we didn’t create that much.”

Klopp’s side will look to bounce back in midweek with a Champions League tie against Ajax.

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