A former Premier League goalkeeper has criticised two Liverpool players who he claimed have been ‘average to say the least’ this season.
Multiple factors have contributed towards the Reds’ miserable campaign, one of which is a defensive decline which has seen Arne Slot’s side surpass their tally of goals conceded in the Premier League (42) from the previous two years (41 each) with seven matches still to play.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast, Tim Krul claimed that his compatriot Virgil van Dijk – who’s shipped plenty of flak himself in recent months – hasn’t been helped by two of his defensive teammates in particular.
The ex-Newcastle goalkeeper said: “You mentioned Virgil van Dijk [and a possible drop-off in his performances] but I don’t think it’s necessarily just him. I think it’s the people next to him as well.
“Milos Kerkez at left-back and Ibrahima Konate – in my opinion, both of those players have been average to say the least.”
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While the two players called out by Krul have endured difficult moments this season, it’d be wrong to pin the bulk of Liverpool’s troubles squarely on them.
Kerkez had a tough start to life with the Reds after joining from Bournemouth last summer, but he’s grown into his role as a regular starter and has rewarded Slot’s faith with some excellent performances in recent weeks.
Konate has been culpable of some defensive horrors shows in this campaign, although he’s had to deal with the extreme grief of losing his father in January, after which he put in some terrific performances on the pitch until a particularly tough outing at Galatasaray a fortnight ago.
Although some players have hit consistently higher levels than others throughout the season, the truth is that collectively Liverpool have been a million miles off their best, and the blame for the team’s drastic decline can’t be pinned on just a couple of individuals.
Hopefully Kerkez and Konate can enjoy a strong finish to the campaign and make a pivotal contribution towards a post-Easter resurgence at Anfield. Goodness knows it’s needed, not just for that duo but for the club as a whole, and especially for the under-fire Slot.
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When you’re only able to make one change in midfield you are in big trouble ,other top 5 can bring on like for like , we bring on Curtis Jones who is championship level at best spent Saturday having a stroll round Anfield not good enough never was never will be
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