Gary Neville criticizes 'useless' Liverpool attack as the Premier League -Masters suffer from third straight loss with Chelsea defeat

Gary Neville has criticized Liverpool’s attack and midfield after Arne Slot suffered a third straight defeat in a 2-1 loss at Chelsea.

After Moises Caicedo’s thundering first half -lock opener, Liverpool had regained the second half through Cody Gakpo.

However, Estevao’s stop time ended a victory for the website.

Despite hoping to end a comeback, Neville feels that last season masters Liverpool were extremely bad in their attempts to chase the game, especially when Chelsea suffered additional injury problems in defense with Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiasheshile forced off.

“I thought that after they scored, I was really disappointed with their performance level,” said Neville at Gary Neville Podcast.

“A lot of Liverpool’s defensive work has been done and rightly, but that’s not why they’ve lost this game. They’ve lost this game because their creative players, their players, their players in the last half of the field, in the last 15-20 minutes were absolutely useless.

“They gave the ball away that you wouldn’t think. Gakpo, Salah, wasted. Wirtz, not knowing how to get into a game in the last 15 minutes when it was there to take and just kind of ended up marking Caicedo.

“I thought their front players were terrible. Salah is sublime. How can you criticize the consistency and reliability and brilliance of him, but some of the decisions from him today when he comes in and you think he should pass it or you think he should do something better with it and his finishing was bad.

“Isaac, I thought he had started the game sharply, but didn’t quite get into it.

“Wirtz, as he got on, I was disappointed with him. He looks very immature in his knowledge of how to play the game.

“I just see him kind of jogging around, and I see him go too deep when he didn’t have to go too deep, and I see him standing next to players when he didn’t have to stand next to players. Sometimes I see him being too honest – it sounds crazy to go back and defend.

“He had to be almost half of cheating, almost like keeping an eye on the deep line midfielder, just in case he can jump off him and go the other way on the counter -attack. He is quite predictable at this point in terms of picking up his position and he was disappointing.

“Liverpool was poor today. It’s the most disappointing last 15 minutes I’ve seen from Liverpool for a long time because I think when Chelsea has it back four in the game, you scored a goal so you have to continue and win that game.

“Everything said Liverpool should go and win that game, but they haven’t done it and that’s a problem for them.

“We have a title race on. Arsenal has had a good week, Liverpool has had a bad week and I think it gives a big next six months because it will be a real match.

“For Liverpool, they have some work to do, but they have experienced players, they have world -class players and individuals in their teams and they have a good manager.

“They want to fix it out, but full backs have to step up, Wirtz has to start playing and understanding how he wants to connect with Isaac and the others forward in the team.”

Neville’s criticism is expanded to their backline with former Manchester United-Back-back, which suggests Liverpool also has defensive problems.

“[Milos] Kerkez looks like a youth team player, “Neville told Sky Sports.

“I know he’s a good player, but he looks like he’s playing for the U21s. He looks so naive; he looks like a baby out there.

“He loses, he loses his 50-50s against Pedro Neto. It’s not like he’s coming from another country, he has a lot of games under his belt in the Premier League.

“I expected him to cast in because one he plays with Virgil van Dijk, the best middle half in the world, so if you want to play in a rear four, you will play with big defenders, and he does.

“He has players working hard on that side – it’s not like he has Salah in front of him on this page, which is a little more difficult for the right back because you always get a little more exposed.

“I have to say from the first 10 minutes of this game against Bournemouth on the first day of the season that Friday night he fought.

“Let’s be clear, Liverpool’s full backs are fighting. Freemason looks like he was going to play like a right-wing man doesn’t act as a right-back. Conor Bradley doesn’t, and Andy Robertson, I think he’s fighting, but he’s not quite where he was a few years ago.

“Liverpool’s problems, at this point, I think so much to do with full back as everywhere. They have to button it down.”

Slot: Summer changes have affected us

In a speech after the game, Liverpool chief Arne Castle suggested that changes during the summer have affected his side.

“I think you’re never close to your ideal [team]”Said Castle.

“You have to work really hard to reach a certain level, and then it is very difficult in football because you are also playing against very good teams to keep this level going. What I mean by that is consistency.

“But it is clear that we had a lot of changes in the summer. Players came in at different moments. Last week there has hardly been any training time and we still have to try to bring these players in.

“The result would have been better today with a draw or a win, both of which were possible. I do not say that we deserved it, a draw we certainly deserved, then we would have had a good start to the season if you take into account everything that happened in the summer in Liverpool.”

Has Liverpool lost their balance?

Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp believes Liverpool has lost their balance in their search for a winning formula after their summer transfer business.

“These last second goals end up running out, you run out of luck and then you get caught the other side. It’s become a difficult thing,” he said.

“When I saw Liverpool last season, the one thing I always felt they had control – they had a nice balance about them, a steady back four and then Ryan Gravenberch ahead.

“Now that the manager wants him to have a slightly different role, that’s fine, but you can’t change too much about what was so successful. They lose control in important matches. They’re too open all the time. It’s been end to end, that’s not what Liverpool was last year.

“Last year, from Arne Castle, it was one of the most incredible managerial performances. To some extent it made sense; they didn’t really bought any players.

“This year he has different players and he quickly tries to look after things together.

“Things haven’t quite gelled in the way he would have wished. Alexander Isaac needs time, Hugo Ekitike needs time. I thought it would all be slot perfectly together, but it doesn’t.”

Redknapp also believes that Liverpool feels the effect of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure after he secured a free transfer to Real Madrid in the summer.

“They have problems with full back. They are missing trent (Alexander-Arnold).

“They haven’t played the same right -back since the Burnley game. (Conor) Bradley had a tough 45 minutes. (Milos) Kerkez hasn’t quite adapted either – pressed to play for Bournemouth isn’t the same.

“They have problems all over the field, but especially at full back with (Andy) Robertson’s injury at the end. This international break may be a good chance to reset.”