4 Mar 2017

Not Good Enough: Redknapp slates 'brilliant' £100k-a-week Liverpool star; he's 'not up to it'. Agree?

Ex-Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has stuck the knife into Jurgen Klopp for failing to fix the Liverpool's defensive issues.

In his column for the Evening Standard this week, Redknapp claimed that Liverpool are 'no better under Jurgen Klopp than they were under Brendan Rodgers', and singled out several Reds players for specific criticism. He scathed:

"Lucas plays as a centre-back...but it just isn’t his position. He’s got no pace, is too small and he got slaughtered by Jamie Vardy. Joel Matip alongside him isn’t up to it, and both goalkeepers make too many errors".

A withering assessment, but as much as it pains me to admit, Redknapp is correct:

* Lucas is being played out of position, and sometimes struggles at centre-back, but that's not his fault - it's down to Klopp, who forced Sakho out of the club, and continually ignores Ragnar Klavan, a dedicated central defender.

* As it is with Klopp, the honeymoon is over for Matip. He's a good (sometimes 'brilliant') defender, who cost nothing, so it's hard to gripe too much. However, his frailties have come to the fore recently (lack of physicality; bypassed easily by speedy players etc), and as the Leicester debacle starkly illustrated, Matip is not a defensive leader, which is what Liverpool desperately need.

* Mignolet and Karius are both capable of good periods of form, but there are (arguably) question marks over their mental strength, a complaint that can be leveled against Klopp's entire squad.

As for Redknapp's contention that Liverpool are 'no better under Klopp than under Rodgers' - it sounds like aimless bluster, but as I recently illustrated with cold hard facts, it is factually correct.

If Lovren isn't fit enough to play this afternoon, Lucas will probably get the nod at at centre-half, and given the talent Arsene Wenger has at his disposal, the Brazilian may well get 'slaughtered' once again


* Matip: Reportedly on £100k-a-week


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