Premier League: Liverpool legend Graeme Souness criticises Juergen Klopp's team after defeat by Leeds United
Graeme Souness criticised Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool following Saturday night's 2-1 loss to Leeds
Graeme Souness has ripped into Liverpool after their 2-1 defeat to Leeds on Saturday and named the players who no longer “have it in their legs”Cryscio Summerville's late 89th-minute winner for Leeds United gave the Reds their fourth loss of the season and their first loss at home in 30 games spanning 19 months.
After four minutes, Liverpool got off to another poor start when Joe Gomez threw a naïve back pass to Alisson, who had gone out of his goal and stumbled, allowing Rodrigo to come in and tap the ball into the empty net.
Mohamed Salah equalised for Liverpool 10 minutes later when Andy Robertson crossed the ball for the Egypt international to volley into the net from close range, energising the Liverpool faithful.
Liverpool could not find a way past the exceptional Illan Meslier, who made a record-tying nine saves.
Graeme Souness stated on Sky Sports that the current Liverpool squad is a ghost of its former self after the game.
In addition, he stated that Liverpool's ageing midfield has rendered them incapable of playing with the same intensity.
He added, "Liverpool are a country mile from where they were over the last few years. In many instances, Leeds were more than a match for Liverpool, and they did to Liverpool what they had been doing to teams for years."
"Liverpool bullied teams before; their midfield bullied teams. And now they're being bullied. That's making them vulnerable at the back, and they're not creating the same chances up front."
Jurgen Klopp was left salty after a bitter defeat
Liverpool fared better in the second half and fought hard for the victory, although Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier nearly single-handedly kept his team in the game.
After 67 minutes, he made a spectacular stop on a one-on-one with Uruguayan international Darwin Nunez, and 11 minutes later, he again thwarted an effort from Nunez.
It was evident on the face of the Liverpool coach in the post-match interview that none of this benefitted Liverpool.
He said, "We have to bring our quality on to the pitch, and we fight against it. We had problems from the first day, injury-wise."
"Players have had to play from the first day. It's our situation, and it means we have to help ourselves, and that is what we will do."
The setback follows Liverpool's loss to Nottingham Forest and intensifies the situation surrounding the ailing Merseyside team, which is ninth in the standings with 16 points after 12 matches.
This victory lifts Leeds United from the relegation zone to 15th place with 12 points.
Now, Liverpool has league games at Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton remaining before next month's World Cup, which cannot come soon enough as Klopp seeks explanations for his team's terrible Premier League run.