Steve Nicol has criticised two Liverpool players who he feels could hold the Reds back in terms of a potential Premier League title challenge.

As of Tuesday morning, the Reds are second in the table and only two points behind Arsenal, although Jurgen Klopp’s side just about preserved their 100% Anfield record this season after a quickfire late comeback to triumph 4-3 over Fulham on Sunday.

Speaking on ESPN FC, the former Reds right-back was asked if he’d go along with Craig Burley’s assessment that LFC’s defence would cost them in trying to compete with the Gunners and Manchester City for the title.

Nicol replied: “I do agree because right now, [Trent] Alexander-Arnold and [Kostas] Tsimikas are not good defenders. If you’ve got half of your back four who are not good defenders, it shouldn’t really be a surprise that you’re giving up chances and goals.”

Admittedly the Fulham match wasn’t the finest hour-and-a-half for Liverpool’s back four, but it’s not as if the Reds are in the midst of a defensive crisis. Prior to Sunday they’d shipped just two goals over their previous five league games, while only Arsenal have conceded fewer in the top flight so far this term.

The £75,000-per-week Tsimikas has set up almost as many Premier League goals (three) as his team have conceded (five) since he came in for the injured Andy Robertson in October, as per Transfermarkt.

Meanwhile, Trent – whose defensive qualities have been subjected to much scrutiny in the past – has more than made up for any such lapses with his huge impact at the other end of the pitch over the last couple of weeks.

Liverpool have conceded 12 goals in as many league games with the £180,000-per-week England international in the team. Kyle Walker – who’s been Man City’s go-to right-back for much of the season so far – has been part of a defence which has shipped 16 goals in 14 top-flight matches (Transfermarkt).

There is scope for the Reds’ full-backs to improve defensively, but it’s harsh from Nicol to declare that the two current starters in those positions are ‘not good defenders’.

You can view Nicol’s comments below (from 1:40), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Liverpool dropped points for the first time in the Europa League this season following a 3-2 defeat to Toulouse  last night.

The hosts were well worthy of their victory as they outfought Jurgen Klopp’s side just two weeks after being thrashed 5-1 at Anfield.

Our German tactician made nine changes to the side that drew with Luton Town last weekend and that resulted with a disjointed performance from those in red – most notably from Kostas Tsimikas who was at fault for Toulouse’s opening goal as he was caught in possession in side his own half.

Former Liverpool favourite Steve Nicol believes the performances of the Greek international since Andy Robertson’s injury will be ‘a worry’ for Klopp.

“I think that [Tsimikas] would be a worry for Klopp,” Nicol told ESPN (via Rousing The Kop). “Since Tsimikas came to the club he’s been trying to oust Robertson and has never had a run of games to prove it. And of course when Robertson gets injured all of a sudden it’s on Tsimikas now – ‘okay, there you go show us what you’ve got’ and actually from the very first game to this one here he has not responded in the right manner.

“He got substituted in the very first game at Anfield [against Everton] because he was poor and he cost Liverpool the first goal in this game, poor play again. I think for Klopp who right now is trying to sort out that back four, it’s not quite the back four of old. Without Robertson and having to play Tsimikas and him performing the way he is, yeah that would be a worry.

“Does he stick with Tsimikas, I don’t know, does he switch [Joe] Gomez over there, what does he do? That would be my only concern.”

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The Greek Scouser is a huge favourite at Anfield with him appearing to be a positive figure around the club and someone who always has a smile on his face.

It must be admitted, however, that his performances simply haven’t been good enough in recent weeks.

It was a huge blow to lose Andy Robertson, who injured his shoulder while on international duty with Scotland, but this was our No. 21’s chance to prove he’s got what it takes to be in the starting XI.

Unfortunately, the former Olympiacos man has looked lacklustre and not upto the standards required to be in Klopp’s team.

With the visit of Brentford to Anfield on Sunday followed by a clash with Manchester City at the Etihad the following weekend, the former Borussia Dortmund boss needs to sort the left side of his defence out quickly.

Joe Gomez started at left back against Luton and was moved into the position at half-time last night when Tsimikas was brought off.

It’s likely our No. 2 will play in that position again during our clash with Thomas Frank’s side.

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Steve Nicol was full of praise for one Liverpool player who was ‘so smooth it’s frightening’ in the 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

Dominik Szoboszlai helped himself to two assists as the Reds eased to victory at Anfield, delivering one of his standout performances for the club since his £60m summer move from RB Leipzig.

The Hungarian has become an instant fan favourite on the Kop, and Nicol made no secret of his huge admiration for the midfielder’s performances.

Speaking on ESPN UK, the 61-year-old gushed: “I’ve got to say, once again, Szoboszlai is absolutely scary. The guy’s so smooth it’s frightening, and he always makes great decisions, he always picks the right pass. The guy, so far, has been absolutely phenomenal, and long may it continue.”

Nicol’s assessment of the 23-year-old’s display against Forest was spot-on, and the figures from Sofascore sum up how brilliantly Liverpool’s number 8 played yesterday.

He won four of his duels and achieved a 93% success rate with his distribution, finding a teammate with 75 of his 81 passes. He also recorded one shot on target and completed three of his four dribbles.

Neil Jones certainly wasn’t exaggerating when he described it as a ‘masterclass‘ from the mercurial Szoboszlai.

You can view Nicol’s comments on Szoboszlai below (from 0:58), via ESPN UK on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol believes that Jurgen Klopp still doesn’t fully trust one member of his squad at Liverpool.

Summer signing Wataru Endo netted his first goal for the Reds in Thursday night’s 5-1 win over Toulouse but has only started one Premier League match prior to today’s clash against Nottingham Forest, with that particular appearance coming just over two months ago (Transfermarkt).

Alexis Mac Allister has instead played as the starting number 6 for the bulk of the season thus far, a tactical deployment which has been questioned in some quarters.

However, speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol claimed that the 30-year-old has yet to win the trust of his manager and that Liverpool’s best XI wouldn’t have the Japan international included in it.

The former Reds player said of Endo: “I don’t think [Klopp] fancies him right now. I guess all the managers [would say] ‘he’s not quite settled in yet, he’s still learning the way we play.

“It doesn’t matter, because I don’t think too many people would argue [against] that to have [Dominik] Szoboszlai and Mac Allister further up would be better

“The thing is he can afford to have Mac Allister a little deeper because they are pretty good still at going forward, but I don’t think he trusts Endo. I think that’s probably a better word. He doesn’t trust him yet to start him and have the other two further up.”

Liverpool were crying out for defensive midfield additions for much of the summer, hence the decision to bring in Endo a couple of weeks before the transfer deadline.

Even if other midfielders are more eye-catching, the 30-year-old is perhaps the one who’s best suited to the specific qualities which are demanded of the number 6 role, so maybe the £50,000-per-week enforcer (Capology) should be trusted to start more often – especially with his tail up following his goal on Thursday night.

You can view Nicol’s comments below (from 3:25), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol had little sympathy for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain following the midfielder’s recent comments about the manner of his departure from Liverpool in the summer.

In an interview with The Athletic, the 30-year-old outlined how he only learned of the Reds’ plans to let him leave at the end of his contract when someone told him that the club would be publishing a statement to that effect.

The now-Besiktas player admitted to being ‘surprised’ at the manner in which he found out that his time at Anfield was coming to an end after six years, but that cut little ice with Nicol.

Speaking on ESPN FC, the 61-year-old said: “You’ve got to know where you stand yourself. Is he really telling us that it came as such a shock that he’s leaving? As a player, if you don’t understand where you are in the pecking order at the club, then you’re in the wrong place.

“By the way, if you don’t know, go and ask. Don’t sit all meek and mild and not say a word and then six months, 12 months later all of a sudden you start talking about it.

“Would it be ideal for somebody to come to you every now and again and let you know how things are, ‘where do you stand, OK, things are going great, well done,  we think you’re doing a great job’? That’s not how the game works.”

When asked about his own experiences of leaving clubs, Nicol replied: “I knew. I knew my time was up. You know. You should know. If you’ve got anything about you, you should know when your time up.

“You don’t need somebody to come around and put their arm around you and go ‘oh, thanks very much for all you’ve done’. It’s a professional business. It’s a top business, and you’ve got to know where you stand. You shouldn’t be expecting [the manager] to come and give you a cuddle.”

Nicol has a point in saying that football at the highest level is a cut-throat business, with no room for sentiment when it comes to deciding on players’ contracts.

However, it’s still poor form that Ox wasn’t given the courtesy of being informed of such a major decision until he was told so curtly just prior to the statement going out. Let’s not forget that he more than played his part in a hugely successful and memorable era for the club under Jurgen Klopp.

You can view Nicol’s comments below (from 2:51), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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The international break may give players the chance to meet up with their compatriots and represent their respective countries but it also creates opportunity for injuries.

Andy Robertson is more than aware of that having appeared to dislocate his shoulder during Scotland’s 2-0 defeat to Spain on Thursday night.

The extent of the 29-year-old’s injury is yet to be discovered but the knock is almost certainly going to rule him out of next weekend’s Merseyside derby – something which ex-Red Steve Nicol believes is ‘absolutely a disaster’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“It’s not a good time for him or Liverpool, that’s for sure,” Nicol told ESPN (as quoted by HITC). “We have spoken about Liverpool’s back four being their Achilles heel.

“But one of the better defenders, in amongst an Achilles heel, is Robertson. He has been as consistent as anybody at the back four.

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“So, it’s absolutely a disaster for Liverpool. Now, Tsimikas is going to have to play. And he isn’t particularly a great defender. You are now starting with two fullbacks, Alexander-Arnold and Tsimikas, whose best part of their game is going forward and not defending. That’s not good.”

Andy Robertson has become recognised as one of the best full-backs in the world since his move to Anfield back in 2017.

The Scotland skipper wears his heart on his sleeve and gives his all when out on the pitch – something that is needed during derby matches, especially.

To lose his services for the visit of Everton to L4 would be a huge below but Kostas Tsimikas, who would be expected to deputise for the former Dundee United man, has stepped up on plenty occasions in the past.

Admittedly, the Greek Scouser is not at the same level of our No. 26 but we have confidence that he can do the job required against Sean Dyche’s side next week and help us towards a huge three points.

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Steve Nicol has claimed that Andy Robertson has not ‘been at his best recently’ despite Liverpool’s strong start to the campaign.

The Scotsman has become recognised as one of the best full-backs in the world following his £8m move to Anfield back in 2017.

The former Hull City man currently holds the record for the most Premier League assists by a defender (57) but Nicol believes the 29-year-old has been below par in recent weeks.

“Who is your favourite player in the world right now playing in the position that you did?” the ex-Red was asked on ESPN (via The Boot Room).

“You need to get back to me. I am struggling, a left-back who can go forward and can defend, Andy Robertson, yeah. I don’t think he’s been at his best recently, and after Andy I couldn’t think of anybody,” he responded.

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Jermaine Pennant has also claimed recently that our No. 26 is the ‘only weakness’ in Klopp’s team (Lucky Block via The Mirror) which is really surprising.

Alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robertson has reinvented the full-back role in recent years with their constant energy up and down the pitch.

You don’t become a bad player overnight so we believe some of the criticism the Scotsman is receiving is bemusing.

He’ll be in the starting XI on Sunday when we face Brighton at the Amex so let’s hope he can put in a strong performance.

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Steve Nicol has fumed at Darwin Nunez’s critics and urged them to ‘get off his back’, insisting that the Liverpool striker needs a consistent run of starts to prove a point to his detractors.

In the space of a few minutes against West Ham last Sunday, the Uruguayan missed a glorious chance at 1-1 before then scoring with a sumptuous volley as the Reds ultimately triumphed 3-1 at Anfield.

It took the 24-year-old’s goal tally to four for the season so far, along with two assists, and he seems well on his way to surpassing his haul of 15 goals from last term (Transfermarkt).

However, Nunez continues to face criticism from some quarters over the opportunities that he passes up, and Nicol has had enough of the striker’s constant detractors.

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Speaking on ESPN FC, the former Liverpool player said of the Uruguay forward: “They just cane him and then say ‘they won’t be looking forward to playing against him.’ What does this guy have to do to get people off his back? What does he have to do?

“We’ve been saying this guy needs to get a run of games to gain that composure. Nobody is going to disagree that he sometimes doesn’t have the composure in front of goal.

“Everybody agrees with that, but he’s not going to get that unless he gets a run of games. He’s now getting a run of games. He’s still scoring goals, he’s maybe not scored as many as he should, but come on. Let’s get off his back, seriously.”

Nicol probably won’t have been too pleased to see Nunez named among the substitutes for Liverpool’s clash away to Tottenham this evening, with Cody Gakpo again preferred at centre-forward.

However, as the Uruguayan showed with his late match-winning double against Newcastle last month, he’s well capable of coming off the bench to make a massive impact.

You can view Nicol’s comments below (from 2:31), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol has suggested Liverpool are a side much better off without Divock Origi, whom he labelled a ‘horrendous’ footballer in open play.

The 61-year-old, who played a key part in Bob Paisley’s monster Reds outfit of the 1980s, begrudgingly admitted that the Belgian international had scored a few key goals in his time at Anfield.

“Did he score a goal? Yes, he did. That’s what the guy did at Liverpool. He never saw the field until the last 5-10 minutes, and yes, he had a habit of scoring big goals,” the former Red told ESPNFC.

“But I tell you what, in open play, he was horrendous. And in that final (against Tottenham), he was horrendous as well, even though he scored a goal.

“For a guy who is about 6ft 12. He can’t head a ball to save his life. He couldn’t hold a bag of cement if you played it up to him. He couldn’t pass a ball to someone with the same colour of jersey on. And he can’t head the ball.

“But he scored a goal in the final! His actual play is garbage.”

The now Nottingham Forest striker ended his Merseyside career with 55 goal contributions in 175 games for the club.

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No one is under any illusion at Liverpool that Origi was the greatest striker ever to grace the pitch, or even on par with the likes of Fernando Torres, Ian Rush or Luis Suarez.

That said, to claim that the former Lille man was ‘garbage’ from open play is quite the harsh remark of a player who had a critical say in some of the biggest trophies won during Jurgen Klopp’s time at the helm.

There may not be any statues built in the near future to commemorate his former value to Liverpool, but there’s not a question in our minds here at Empire that Divock is owed a great deal more respect for his contributions at L4 than he’s been shown.

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Steve Nicol believes that Liverpool need to sort out one issue within their current squad if they’re to be considered as genuine contenders for the Premier League title this season.

A strong start with 10 points taken from a possible 12 (including wins over Newcastle and Aston Villa, both of whom are in European competition) has offered hope of competing near the summit of the table this time around, following a lowly fifth-place finish last term.

However, the former Reds player has insisted that Jurgen Klopp’s side need to improve defensively and lower the number of chances they present to opponents if they’re to truly push champions and early leaders Manchester City.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol said: “I’m not in the camp [that] they’re going to contend with City… going forward I think everybody at Liverpool should be quite happy. I think Liverpool will score goals, which means they’re going to win games.

“One of the problems they have that we’re not quite sure is going to be fixed, certainly with this current squad, is the back line. It doesn’t seem to give an awful lot of cover to Alisson in goal and when anybody gets at it, it gives up chances, it gives up shots.

“So far this season, not a lot of goals [conceded], but as I said, if you keep giving chances up, then you’re going to start losing goals.

“The one thing Liverpool don’t want to do, they don’t want to have to be scoring three or four goals every week to win games, because you are not winning anything by doing that. For those reasons, that’s why I don’t think they are quite yet ready to be title contenders.”

The Reds’ tally of three goals conceded is the second-lowest in the Premier League so far this season (after Man City with two), but Nicol’s point about the regularity with which our opponents are getting chances against us is a pertinent one.

Liverpool’s xGA (expected goals against) is 5.3, which is inferior to six top-flight teams (FBref) and suggests that either Alisson is having to perform heroics (as he did against Newcastle) or that the opposition are letting us off the hook by missing opportunities they’d expect to score.

We saw during the 2013/14 season how a leaky defence which shipped 50 goals ultimately saw us fall narrowly short to City in the title race. Let’s hope that, if we’re in a battle with the Manchester club again, the concession rate will be considerably lower this time around.

You can see Nicol’s comments below, via ESPN UK on YouTube:

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One Liverpool player had Steve Nicol applauding him while the Scot was watching the Reds dismantle Aston Villa at Anfield on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp’s side eased to a 3-0 home win yesterday, with Trent Alexander-Arnold marking his status as captain for the day with a sumptuous performance.

The 24-year-old unfortunately went off during the second half with a suspected hamstring injury (LFC official website), but prior to that abrupt exit he lit up the match with his exquisite distribution, with 68 passes completed in total, including eight long balls (Sofascore).

A couple of inch-perfect diagonal balls to Luis Diaz in the opening minutes set the tone for the afternoon, while his 50-yard pass to pick out Mo Salah in the lead-up to the second goal was a thing of beauty.

Nicol, who admitted to strongly criticising Trent in the past over his defensive displays, could only sit and clap while watching the Scouser on Sunday.

Speaking on ESPN FC, the 61-year-old said: “I know I do particularly give Alexander-Arnold some stick about his defending, but I tell you what, there was about three passes today where I was sat in front of the telly clapping.”

When looking back at the captain’s performance yesterday, you can be sure that Nicol wasn’t the only viewer left applauding his sheer brilliance on the ball.

This was Trent at his best, and let’s hope the injury which forced him off is nothing more than a minor knock.

You can hear Nicol’s comments on Nunez below (from 1:54), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol said that he ‘felt like smashing the telly’ upon listening to continued criticism of one Liverpool player during Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

Darwin Nunez couldn’t follow up his match-winning heroics against Newcastle with a goal yesterday and was culpable of one bad miss in the second half, but his overall performance made him a nightmare for the visitors to try and contain at Anfield.

However, the Uruguayan often found himself maligned by pundits during his first year with the Reds over his goal conversion rate, and one TV commentator during Sunday’s victory continued to pick holes in the 24-year-old’s display.

That left Nicol furious when the striker was brought up in discussion on ESPN FC, with the Scot saying: “You’re worse than the guy who was commentating today. All he kept saying any time Nunez did something was ‘Well he got 16 goals last year but he could’ve had more’ and ‘Oh, what Nunez have we got this week? Is it going to be the Nunez of last week?’

“I’m like, leave the guy alone! Seriously, I felt like smashing the telly. Every five minutes he was criticising Nunez. Leave the guy alone. He’s got two assists today.”

Nicol is right to call out the constant questioning of Nunez, who was excellent against Villa as he officially claimed one assist (for Mo Salah’s goal) and took the shot from which Matty Cash helplessly diverted the ball into his own net to make it 2-0.

Aside from that, his endless endeavour in the final third causes chaos among the visitors’ defence, and Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones hailed the 24-year-old as ‘imperious’ over his ‘destructive performance’.

We’ve no doubt that the goals will soon flow for the Uruguayan, and he’ll truly be unstoppable then!

You can hear Nicol’s comments on Nunez below (from 3:34), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol was left flabbergasted by the verdict of former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg on Virgil van Dijk’s red card in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday.

The Dutchman was given his marching orders when he felled Alexander Isak just outside the penalty area shortly before the half-hour mark, with match official John Brooks deeming it a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity.

Debate has since raged as to the correctness of that decision, with ESPN FC host Dan Thomas reading out a text message he received from the one-time English top-flight ref.

Clattenburg was apparently of the view that while he understood Brooks’ thinking, he didn’t see it as a sending off either at the time of the incident or after the game.

When that viewpoint was read aloud, Nicol could only shake his head repeatedly before eventually exclaiming ‘He doesn’t know what he’s talking about’.

It seemed rather surprising that an ex-Liverpool player insisted that Van Dijk was rightly sent off and a Newcastle-supporting former official thought it was the wrong call, but alas here we are.

Whatever you make of the rights or wrongs of Brooks’ decision, the end result for Jurgen Klopp is that he must do without his captain for the next three matches, a huge body blow for the squad amid an otherwise positive start to the season.

You can see Nicol’s reaction to Clattenburg’s verdict below (from 11:20), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol has claimed that prospective Manchester United signing Rasmus Hojlund is nowhere near the same level as his Liverpool counterpart Darwin Nunez.

Just as the Reds made the Uruguayan their marquee centre-forward arrival last summer for an initial £64m (BBC Sport), their Old Trafford rivals are expected to clinch the signature of the Atalanta and Denmark striker for £72m imminently (Daily Mail).

Comparisons between the two already appear to have been drawn in some quarters, but the Scottish pundit insists that the Red Devils’ impending acquisition has quite a way to go before meriting a mention in the same bracket as the 24-year-old.

Nicol told ESPN FC: “Nunez didn’t get the run of the games in the team that Hojlund got, for a start. I don’t think Hojlund is anywhere close to where Nunez is right now. Hojlund, for £75m? I’m sorry, I don’t see where the £75m comes from.

“I see the £80m they spent on Nunez. I can see why they would do that, just because strength, power, the way he runs in behind.

“Yes, the one piece of the puzzle that’s missing is that composure in front of goal, but talk about get in position to score. Hojlund doesn’t do that. He certainly hasn’t done it yet.”

The two strikers actually posted identical averages for their respective clubs last season, with 0.48 goals and 0.16 assists per 90 minutes on the pitch (FBref).

However, while Nunez has proven himself over a number of years at a high level with 83 club career goals, including 10 in the Champions League, Hojlund is still a rising prospect with 27 senior strikes and no prior exposure to Europe’s premier club tournament (Transfermarkt).

The Dane could go on to be a smash hit at Old Trafford, but for now he’s yet to prove he can excel at the highest level in European football in the same manner that the Liverpool marksman has done.

You can see Nicol’s comments below (from 3:53), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

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Steve Nicol believes that Jurgen Klopp has ‘a big problem’ to solve with the composition of his Liverpool midfield in the final month of the transfer window.

Although the Reds have brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai this summer, their plans for the new campaign were disrupted in July when Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both left for the Saudi Pro League.

They have been trying to sign Romeo Lavia from Southampton but have seen two bids rejected and may now need to pay as much as £60m for him, with Curtis Jones playing at the base of midfield in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Leicester in Singapore as Trent Alexander-Arnold reverted to right-back.

However, neither of the first two have convinced Nicol that they can be the deep-lying midfielder that Liverpool need if they’re to challenge for major silverware.

Speaking on ESPN FC, the 61-year-old said: “If Liverpool want to be pushing anybody for the Premier League title or the Champions League or any of the big prizes, they need somebody who is going to be playing now and who’s going to do the job.

“They can’t wait on a [Romeo] Lavia getting better or hoping that Curtis Jones can fill in. That doesn’t get you Premier League titles or Champions League titles. It’s a big problem right now.”

It’s incomprehensible that Klopp won’t push to bring in at least one more midfielder in August, with Lavia and Andre Trindade firmly on his wish list.

The clock is ticking closer to the transfer deadline in 30 days’ time, but let’s see if Liverpool can pull off a late transfer coup to alleviate fears over their midfield ranks.

You can see Nicol’s comments below (from 2:01), via ESPN UK on YouTube:

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