Here are your Liverpool evening headlines for Tuesday, January 19.
Neville criticises reserve trio
Gary Neville believes that Liverpool's attacking problems are down to the lack of quality depth below the front three, naming Takumi Minamino, Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri as lacking the necessary quality to fill the back-up roles.
After Jamie Carragher explained how unique the longevity of Liverpool's attacking trio is, Neville retorted that the Reds' problems are not down to the underwhelming form of the starters but the lack of flexibility that Jurgen Klopp has had in his team selections due to unconvincing alternative options, despite Shaqiri starting against Manchester United on Sunday.
"This year, we’ve seen a little dip, it’s natural," he said on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football. "I think Jurgen Klopp has already challenged and supported that front three by bringing Jota in, but Jota’s injured, so he could give them a rest - they don’t get a rest.
"The three players under that front three, Shaqiri, Minamino and Origi; they’re not good enough, so I’d say the main problem for Liverpool isn’t the front three.
"I’d say it’s Jota’s injury, the fact it’s the fourth season of basically running 100mph and the three beneath them haven’t been good enough to give them a rest because (Manchester) City have pushed them to the highest degree.
"They couldn’t rest them because they had to win that title. To me, it doesn’t feel like they should be breaking them up. What they need to do is get Jota back so one of them doesn’t have to play every week."
Hamann believes Liverpool better without Thiago
Dietmar Hamann believes that Liverpool would be better without Thiago Alcantara in the midfield, questioning whether the Spaniard fits into the overall style of the team.
Thiago has mostly impressed so far this season when fit, but Hamann believes that he does not suit Klopp's approach.
"He slows things down and doesn't really play the way Liverpool play," he told talkSPORT. "Liverpool in the past two years had hard-working midfielders. They were skilful, yes, but not as skilful as Thiago.
"They gave the ball to Salah and Mane early, and when you get the ball early to the wing and these guys can run at players, they are very hard, impossible to stop.
"Everyone was raving about Thiago when he came to Liverpool but he's hardly played. He came on against Chelsea where they had the most passes in the second half but Chelsea were down to 10 men. Then he came on against Newcastle for the last 25 minutes and Newcastle were dead on their feet.
"I can tell you he is a good player, a skilful player, yes. But there was never a time at Munich where people said he should be the first name on the teamsheet."
Minamino's curious absence
Minamino's absence from Liverpool's 0-0 draw with United on Sunday is even more curious considering his recent performances in the Premier League have been encouraging, writes Ian Doyle for the ECHO.
Minamino impressed in the 7-0 victory over Crystal Palace and has been on the bench for Liverpool's last four matches, in which they failed to score in all four.
Doyle writes that the midfielder has impressed mostly off the left when drifting into central spaces, but suggested that Klopp does not quite know where best to deploy the 26-year-old, who had been used as an alternative to Roberto Firmino through the middle in previous seasons.
Given Liverpool's evident lack of attacking spark at present, Minamino could feel that he deserves more chances to show what he can do.
