Gary Neville: Liverpool lack midfield enforcer and could be title favourites with Declan Rice or Rodri

Liverpool have been the only team to break Pep Guardiola’s stranglehold on the Premier League in recent years, but Gary Neville believes they could have been title favourites this season if they had invested in a top quality enforcer like Declan Rice or Rodri.

The Reds are currently three points adrift of Tottenham at the top of the table after eight games, but Neville feels their lack of a defensive midfielder could ultimately prove costly.

Liverpool’s midfield

Neville is confident Liverpool will be in the mix for the title, but he has questioned whether their midfield has enough defensive stability. He believes that if the Reds had signed Rice or Rodri, they would be the favourites.

Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast, he said: “If you put Declan Rice in Liverpool’s holding midfield position – or you put Rodri in there – I would be saying Liverpool will definitely be on for the title. My question mark is whether they’ve got enough solidity in midfield, enough defensive strength and power. So I don’t think Liverpool will quite get there, but they’re in the race, there’s no doubt, because of the manager.”

Liverpool have a strong forward line and an outstanding goalkeeper in Alisson Becker, and Neville believes these two factors will keep them in a lot of matches. However, he feels that their midfield is lacking the defensive stability of teams like Arsenal and Manchester City.

The title race

This season’s Premier League title race looks set to be one of the most open in years, with Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City all making strong starts to the season. Neville believes that Liverpool are in the mix too, but feels that they might not have enough to go all the way.

He added: “They could [have the legs to go all the way], they’re more likely to than Spurs, no doubt about that. Liverpool have got something about them. Today [Sunday] they’ve played against a really good Brighton side. And they’ve got an outstanding goalkeeper that I always think will keep them in a lot of football matches. And they’ve got strikers who can score goals – and lots of them. They’ve got a good forward line. The midfield… it’s attacking, but has it got the defensive stability of what we’ve seen here today [at the Emirates], when Rodri comes back in, and when you see Rice and Partey and Jorginho. Have they got that defensive stability, Liverpool? I think Arsenal and City again come towards the end.”

Conclusion

Liverpool have been one of the most successful teams in the Premier League in recent years, but Gary Neville believes that their lack of a top-class defensive midfielder could ultimately prove costly this season. He feels that if they had signed a player like Declan Rice or Rodri, they would be favourites for the title.

This season’s title race looks set to be one of the most open in years, with Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City all making strong starts to the season. Neville believes that Liverpool are in the mix too, but feels that they might not have enough to go all the way.