Micah Richards believes Jurgen Klopp needs to sign more leaders, if Liverpool are to become a Premier League force again.
A 2-0 win over Southampton at Anfield keeps the Reds’ top four hopes alive, sitting six points behind Leicester having played a game fewer.
But it’s still a far cry from the last two campaigns that saw Liverpool amass a staggering 196 points.
Injuries have been a massive contributing factor to the champions’ struggles, having lost Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson for significant portions of the season.
Klopp was also without James Milner for the win over the Saints, meaning their first, second and third choice captains were all out of action.
And speaking in the aftermath of the victory, former Man City defender Micah Richards believes that along with a new forward, Klopp needs to find some more leaders to bring into the squad.
“It’s been a horrible season for them,” Richards said on Sky Sports. “They will get back to their best though.
“I do think they need some freshening up though. Another forward player, not necessarily just a No.9, someone that could fit into that system.
“I think centre-backs, love Joe Gomez, I think he’s got all the attributes to be whatever he wants to be and we all know about Virgil van Dijk.”
“They need leaders,” he added. “When Henderson isn’t on the pitch, they miss that someone telling others what to do, when to run, when to drop.
"A little bit of organisation and I think once they get that back together, they will be the force we know they can be.”
A Sadio Mane header had put Liverpool in control, but were made to wait for their second with Thiago scoring his first for the club in the closing stages.
And after conceding equalisers in their last pair of Premier League games, Klopp was delighted with the way his side saw out the game.
"I thought we controlled it better tonight,” the German explained. “It was hard for us and for Southampton as well.
“It's all about set-pieces and who can do jobs as they are much taller than us. There were a lot of things. We won the game so that's all that counts."
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