Ian Wright has said that Liverpool ‘have a proper player on their hands’ in one youngster among Jurgen Klopp’s senior squad at Anfield.

The former Arsenal striker told Premier League Productions (4 December, 2:40 pm) that he’s ‘really excited’ by the enormous ‘potential’ of Harvey Elliott, who’s bounced back from dislocating his ankle two years ago to become a fixture within the first-team setup on Merseyside.

The attacking midfielder didn’t feature against his former club Fulham on Sunday but has already made 18 appearances this season, starting every Europa League game so far (Transfermarkt).

Wright said of the 20-year-old: “I like him. He is somebody that the potential he has. He obviously had that injury, but as a player, the way he sees the game, his passing, his mobility, the capability and, like he said, he has to score more goals.

“He again is somebody that, if he can get anywhere near his potential, then Liverpool have a proper player on their hands. I am really excited for him.”

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It’s easy to forget how young Elliott still is, having already accrued 84 senior outings for the Reds (Transfermarkt). Indeed, had he not missed five months with that aforementioned ankle injury, he’d surely be a Liverpool centurion by now.

The heightened competition for midfield places has restricted the 20-year-old to just one Premier League start so far this term, but with two fixtures less than 72 hours apart later this week, the youngster could well be given the nod by Klopp in at least one of those.

His star quality was on show during England’s triumph at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer, while his last four caps at that level have seen him plunder five goals and seven assists (Transfermarkt).

Elliott is in the wonderfully rarefied position of already boasting plenty of senior experience while still having the bulk of his career ahead of him.

Even if he’s had to be content with minutes off the bench for most of this season so far, his time to establish himself as a regular in Klopp’s preferred XI should come.

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The Premier League’s top two face off this weekend with Liverpool travelling to the Etihad to take on Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

Jurgen Klopp’s side trail the Sky Blues by just a single point after 12 games this term with both outfits experiencing strong starts to the campaign.

Although the Merseysiders have not defeated Pep Guardiola’s men away from home since 2018 (UCL quarter-final), former Arsenal favourite Ian Wright is confident the Reds can come away with all three points even with Wataru Endo starting the tie.

“I’m going to go with Liverpool,” the 60-year-old told Stick To Football (via The Boot Room). “I’m feeling a bit. I feel like defensively Liverpool should’ve conceded more by now, but the goalkeeper is amazing, and people have missed chances. I think with that midfield with Endo, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, with Salah in amazing form, I feel like this is a good one for Liverpool, I fancy Liverpool.”

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If Liverpool were to earn a victory at the weekend it would be a huge statement from our side.

It’s been a while since we came away from the Etihad with all three points but with our new-look midfield impressing and Virgil van Dijk returning to his best form there’s no reason why we can’t pick up our ninth league win of the season.

It would be quite the call to start our Japanese international – who has won only 31% of his total duels attempted in the league this term, according to Sofascore – but perhaps with great pressure, he may flourish.

The hosts may be without some key players on Saturday with the likes of Erling Haaland, Rodri and Ederson just a few of the members of their squad who missed games for their respective nations during the recent international break through injury.

We will need to be right at it all over the park but we certainly have enough quality to come out on top!

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Ian Wright has admitted he ‘feels sorry’ for Jurgen Klopp with Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City on Saturday scheduled for a 12:30pm kick off at the Etihad.

The German tactician has hit out at the scheduling, previously labelling it as a ‘joke’, with the Anfield outfit occupying the lunchtime slot for a third time in a row immediately after the international break.

The early kick off reduces the amount of rest players have once returning from their respective nations while also meaning the players are forced to eat chicken and pasta for breakfast on the day of the game.

Former Arsenal favourite Wright is one of every few pundits to have some sympathy for the Borussia Dortmund boss.

“I feel sorry for [Jurgen Klopp],” said Wright during an episode of the Kelly and Wrighty show (as quoted by Liverpool.com). “A game of that magnitude and how good it is, I’d have loved for that to be in the evening.”

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The Reds occupied the lunchtime slot on six separate occasions last season but failed to win any of those games – taking three points from a possible 18.

You can claim that it’s not that much of an issue and that Premier League clubs earn an insane amount of money from TV rights, but Klopp’s side have been handed the early slot on far more occasions than their other top six rivals.

Prior to our lunchtime clash with Wolves in September, which we came from a goal down to win 3-1 at Molineux, Opta’s Michael Reid pointed out (via X) that we’ve been handed six more 12:30 kicks off during Klopp’s tenure than Spurs and Chelsea who were next on the list.

Tomorrow's game vs Wolves will be Liverpool's 12th Saturday lunchtime kick-off (12:30/12:45) in the Premier League immediately following an international break under Jürgen Klopp – including 8 away from home.

This is now double any other Premier League team since he joined. #LFC pic.twitter.com/RjDwrKHgqm

— Michael Reid (@michael_reid11) September 15, 2023

Let’s hope for a positive result on Saturday with us currently trailing Pep Guardiola’s league leaders by just a single point.

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Ian Wright has named two Chelsea players who he believes would be ‘needed’ at Liverpool if they’re to truly push for the Premier League title this season.

The Reds are second in the table and just one point behind Manchester City, who they meet in their next top-flight clash on 25 November.

The attackers in Jurgen Klopp’s squad have been magnificent since the start of the campaign, but questions remain over the presence of a truly reliable defensive midfield operator despite their summer spending.

Two players with whom Liverpool had been strongly linked were Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, but both ended up joining Chelsea for £115m and £58m respectively in August.

Speaking on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, Wright said: “When you look at them, they have got Salah, Nunez, Gakpo, Jota and Diaz. They have 35 goals between them. That’s happening.

“The midfield is something which will probably be tested simply because of the player they said they needed, the Caicedo which they tried for, or Lavia.”

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The number 6 role is perhaps the main weakness in Liverpool’s side just now, with Alexis Mac Allister largely entrusted to play in that position despite probably being more effective further forward.

Wataru Endo is a more natural fit at the base of midfield, but he’s only been handed two Premier League starts by Klopp and would likely struggle to get into the team if the Reds had a fully fit squad.

It’s therefore understandable why Wright has suggested that LFC are missing an enforcer like Caicedo or Lavia, both of whom we tried to sign in the summer but to no avail.

However, not even a £111m offer was enough to land the Ecuadorian from Brighton, while Southampton knocked back three bids from Liverpool for the Belgian after the Merseysiders refused to meet their £50m asking price (The Athletic).

Even with both players being young and Premier League proven, the fees that Chelsea paid for them seem quite excessive, and the Anfield hierarchy will feel they can find better value elsewhere.

With the Reds second in the table and 11 points ahead of Mauricio Pochettino’s side, there won’t be too much regret among Klopp and co over missing out on the £173m midfield duo, especially with Lavia having yet to even make his Blues debut due to injury.

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Only Ian Wright was bold enough to call for a result that didn’t see Liverpool and Tottenham share the spoils in their upcoming Premier League fixture.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher went for a 1-1 draw, a scoreline prediction that invited some friendly mocking from fellow Manchester United legend Roy Keane in the opening episode of ‘Stick to Football’.

With both teams looking rather easy on the eye when it comes to their attacking prowess – if not their defensive abilities – we’re struggling to imagine there being only two goals in this clash.

Hopefully, we’ll see Wright’s call come true at the weekend!

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of The Overlap:

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Ian Wright has said he was ‘devastated’ to see Darwin Nunez missing a gilt-edged chance to score for Liverpool in Sunday’s 3-1 victory over West Ham.

The Uruguayan did find the net with a brilliant finish on the hour mark to restore the Reds’ lead, but shortly before that he missed the target with the goal at his mercy with what looked an easier opportunity.

The Match of the Day pundit was reflecting on that game on the Wrighty’s House Podcast when he spoke of his admiration for the 24-year-old.

Wright said: “I’m a Darwin Nunez fan, I was obviously devastated to see him miss that chance. Then he scores an even more difficult chance but then all of a sudden West Ham give Alexis Mac Allister like five yards in the midfield to chip it over the fence. I’m thinking ‘what are you doing after playing so well’!”

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When Nunez missed that glorious opportunity early in the second half on Sunday with the teams level at 1-1, you can be sure that his detractors were sharpening their knives and troll supporters of rival clubs were preparing their memes for social media attention.

Within minutes, the Uruguayan delivered the perfect riposte, latching onto Mac Allister’s sumptuous through ball to execute a glorious volley which shows just how good a finisher he really is.

Yes, there are times when the 24-year-old spurns chances you’d expect him to score, but the sheer chaos he brings up front – and the way in which he torments opposition defenders – makes him easy to admire for Liverpool fans.

Here’s another couple of stats worth knowing about Nunez – he’s overperforming on his xG by 0.4 so far this season and ranks among the top 2% of strikers in Europe’s five main leagues for non-penalty xG per game with 0.74 every 90 minutes (FBref).

A return of four goals in seven matches so far this term (with only two Premier League starts, as per Transfermarkt) is setting him up very nicely to end the campaign with a very handsome tally, provided he can remain injury-free. Fingers crossed in that regard!

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Ian Wright has voiced his belief that Liverpool forward Mo Salah is even better than his Real Madrid counterpart Vinicius Jr.

The BBC pundit was asked to choose between the two during an appearance on Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE, and his answer would’ve elicited nods of approval from anyone of a Reds persuasion.

The former Arsenal striker explained: “What you have to say about Mo is that when Liverpool signed him from Roma, you kind of went ‘Mo Salah?’. 

“He’s not looked back. That man’s just got in the fast lane and has still got his foot on the pedal. That’s why these people [Al-Ittihad] are offering crazy money…I’m going to say Mo Salah for what he’s done.”

Vinicius is undoubtedly a fantastic footballer who, as Liverpool discovered to their cost in the 2022 Champions League final, is a man for the big occasion. He can boast a solid overall output, too, with 60 goals and 64 assists in 228 games for his club (Transfermarkt), a fine return for a 23-year-old.

However, he needs to replicate that for another few years if he’s to get to the levels that Salah has reached at Anfield, with the Egyptian our fifth-highest scorer of all time with 189 goals in 311 appearances (Transfermarkt).

He’s continuing to produce the goods consistently, too, with his late strike against LASK on Thursday making it 12 successive LFC matches in which he’s either scored or set up a goal.

We wouldn’t swap The Egyptian King for any other player in the world, it’s that simple.

You can see Wright’s comments below (from 12:22), via Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVE on YouTube):

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It’s been a great past eight games for the Reds and we have started to look a lot more like our former selves, with Ian Wright backing one forward to go on and have a big campaign next year.

Speaking on Match of the Day, the former Arsenal man was asked if Darwin Nunez can increase his scoring tally: “Absolutely, especially when you see the chances that he is getting, the chances he is missing.

“Next season he will liven himself up, get more intense in respects of his goalscoring, and then he will finish those. I am not worried for him.”

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Let’s hope that, with a season of English football under his belt, our No.27 can go onto to be even more potent than the 15 goals he’s scored so far in his maiden season for the Reds – in our next campaign.

Working alongside some very talented forwards day-in, day-out, will only improve the Uruguayan’s finishing and let’s hope he can go on to be the best finisher in our dressing room.

You can watch Wright’s comments on Nunez (from 42:30) via Match of the Day on the BBC iPlayer:

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Ian Wright is confident that Darwin Nunez will be firing on all cylinders next season despite the Uruguayan struggling for goals of late.

The Liverpool striker, who has registered 15 goals and four assists across all competitions this term but has scored just once in his last nine outings, has divided opinion since his summer move from Benfica with his pace and movement catching the eye but his finishing often letting him down.

Arsenal legend Wright is ‘not worried’ about our No. 27, though, and believes we’ll see the best of him next term.

“Absolutely, especially when you see the chances that he is getting, the chances he is missing,” Wright told BBC’s Match of the Day (via the Liverpool Echo).

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“Next season he will liven himself up, get more intense in respects of his goalscoring, and then he will finish those. I am not worried for him.”

The 23-year-old must still be afforded time.

We understand that he has been at the club since August but with him having to adjust to life in a new country, learn how to speak English and get to grips with Klopp’s tactics then it was always going to take time.

The Uruguayan is constantly getting into threatening positions and doesn’t shy away from getting on the ball so he just needs to work on his composure and the goals will soon start flowing.

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Ian Wright has sent a warning to the rest of the Premier League regarding Curtis Jones as the Scouser continues to impress for Liverpool.

The Academy graduate has struggled for regular game time under Jurgen Klopp ever since making his senior debut in 2019 but having now started five games in a row and beginning to offer a new dimension to Liverpool’s midfield there’s hope that the 22-year-old can really push on next season.

Former Arsenal favourite Wright has made it clear that he expects big things from our No. 17 as he also singled out one of Jones’ ‘elite’ teammates for praise.

“Curtis Jones. He’s coming ladies and gents!” Wright told Ringer Podcast Network (via the Liverpool Echo).

“Like he said when the Hulk got shot down, Thanos is coming. Curtis Jones is coming, but Cody Gakpo…

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“I watched him in some tight areas [against West Ham] and there with his one-touch play and everything. With his link-up play, he’s an absolute elite player.”

It’s clear that the England U21 international is a player with a lot of ability and bags of potential but due to injuries and a lack of consistency we haven’t quite seen him at his best.

He has impressed in recent weeks, however, and with Trent Alexander-Arnold now being deployed in a new inverted role when we have possession it’s also resulted in Jones showing what he’s capable of in a slightly more advanced role.

Gakpo, meanwhile, was quality agains West Ham on Wednesday night and as well as getting himself on the scoresheet it was his all-round game that caught the eye.

He was coming short and receiving the ball from midfield on the half turn while also working his socks off defensively to win the ball back – a trait that Bobby Firmino is renowned for.

It’s clear that the Dutch international is learning from our No. 9 and that will only set him in good stead to continue his impressive development at Anfield.

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Ian Wright has labelled Trent Alexander-Arnold’s performance against West Ham as ‘absolutely’ unbelievable as he helped Liverpool to a 2-1 victory at the London Stadium.

The Scouser picked up his fifth assist in his last four games against the Hammers last night and it’s clear that he’s thriving in his new inverted role that sees him operate as a central midfielder when we’re in possession of the ball.

Former Arsenal favourite Wright singled out our No. 66’s passing ability as one of his most important weapons when analysing his performance.

“Trent’s masterclass that he put on today with his passing, it was, in the first-half in particular, absolutely unbelievable,” Wright told BBC’s Match of the Day (as quoted by The Boot Room).

“His passes, the way he gets them through those lines, the way he puts it in there with purpose.

“In the right-back spot, he was getting back and doing his defending as well.

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“[He’s] somebody who can make that pass that opens it up, opens it up for the forwards, someone like [Cody] Gakpo.

“He had 123 touches, most of them were top-quality touches.”

Alexander-Arnold had been one of the many Liverpool players heavily criticised this season after a pretty inconsistent campaign but in recent weeks he really has flourished.

He’s silenced his doubters by thriving in his new role and it’s clear that this is now a position where his future may lie at the club.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Klopp decides to sign a new right back this summer to enable the Academy graduate to operate in the engine room on a permanent basis.

We understand that he can be caught out defensively at times so allowing him to show off his ability in a more advanced role is a tactical tweak that we’re a huge fan of.

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Ian Wright has labelled Liverpool’s performance at Manchester City last weekend as ’embarrassing’ and is confident that his old side Arsenal can get a result when they travel to Anfield on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are now without a win in their last four games and are rapidly falling out of the race for a top four finish with them currently sat 10 points behind fourth placed Manchester United.

Arsenal have not won a league game at L4 since 2012 but Mikel Arteta will be hoping his side can pick up their eight successive Premier League win to ensure their eight-point lead at the top of the table is still intact by the end of the weekend.

“Liverpool’s performance away to Man City was disappointing because it felt like an old champion going back into the ring,” Wright said on Wrighty’s House podcast (via the Liverpool Echo).

“For a couple of rounds, it looked like they were back but then they were gone after the first punch. Man City just steamrolled them and it was quite embarrassing for Liverpool in the end.

“I think Arsenal have the energy and the capabilities to cause Liverpool problems. It’s a question of how long we can sustain it at Anfield because that’s not something we’ve done for a while there.

“Can we sustain the pressure you need so Liverpool don’t go bang, bang, bang? That’s what I’m excited to see.

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“If we can beat them – which I think we can – then I’m starting to get very excited. I’m excited as it is but these are the huge games in a title race.

“I think Arsenal can do it, I’m confident Arsenal can do it. It’s so exciting. I can already feel the buzz around that game. With what’s going on at Liverpool, it’s the time to attack them and get them to answer some questions.

“I know we’re going to have a period in that game where if Liverpool are not at it, we’re probably going to score a couple of goals.

“That’s what I’m excited about. I like our mentality and we’ve got to go there and do what we’ve been doing over the past month or so.”

It’s going to be a seriously tough game for us on Sunday but with the power of Anfield behind us what’s stopping us from getting a positive result?

The Gunners are full of confidence but with just 10 games remaining this term it’s time for Klopp’s men to stand up if we’re to have any hope of a top four finish.

Sunday will be our first home game since the 7-0 rout of United at the start of March – let’s hope for a similar result!

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Bruno Fernandes has been on the end of a huge amount of criticism following his embarrassing performance at Anfield and now Ian Wright has joined in, as the Manchester United captain continues to be ridiculed.

Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former Arsenal man said: “Sometimes you go to Anfield and you think you are going to get stuff and don’t get it. Look at his reaction now: he’s having a word with Alisson and arguing with him. Look at where he is and look where the ball is.

“I’m thinking ‘get yourself back in, over here [so he can defend].’ Instead he’s coming over here to speak to Rashford and have some sort of whinge.

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“This is the captain. This is the guy who is meant to be leading by example. You look how he’s acting… I was really, really surprised.”

The Portuguese midfielder will have the eyes of the world on his next performance because he was so pathetically childish during his Anfield embarrassment.

It’s all well and good being up for it when you’re winning but when a team needs a leader and you’re wearing the armband, nobody should act the way he did.

You can watch Wright’s comments on Fernandes courtesy of Premier League Productions (via @RL_Comps on Twitter):

looooool Bruno is honestly embarrassing. Ian Wright ripped into him here. pic.twitter.com/KfKZr6B85I

— RL (@RL_Comps) March 7, 2023

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Although Darwin Nunez has not found the back of his net in any of his last four outings, Ian Wright believes that the Uruguayan is ‘playing sensationally’ for Liverpool at the moment and has admitted that he’s ‘desperate’ for the 23-year-old to find the back of the net again soon.

The former Benfica forward, whose last goal came at the beginning of January during our FA Cup draw with Wolves, registered a quality assist for the Reds on Monday night as they defeated Everton 2-0 at Anfield.

“I feel it is going to happen for him as he is playing sensationally,” Wright told Wright’s House Podcast (as quoted by Caught Offside). “The goal he set up for Salah [against Everton] and his all-round energetic pace and output, he is doing everything except scoring.⁣

“I can’t put my finger on why someone with such good technical ability, it’s not even a case of needing to slow down before he shoots, it just doesn’t seem like it is going to go in for him at the moment.⁣

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“I am desperate for him to score. He is trying to shoot from angles that are not good angles. Darwin Nunez’s touches at that pace are phenomenal, that’s why I am desperate for it to click. When it clicks, I think he will cause an unbelievable amount of problems.⁣⁣”

Although he’s yet to regularly show the composure required in front of goal, the forward stills wreaks havoc for opposition defenders and we believe it’s only a matter of time before we see our No. 27 firing on all cylinders.

It must be remembered that this is only Nunez’s third full season playing top-flight football in Europe and he’s still adjusting to life in a new country all while learning how to speak English.

He’s received a huge amount of criticism since arriving on Merseyside but let’s hope he can silence his doubters once again on Saturday with a strong showing against Newcastle.

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Liverpool are enduring what is one of the worst period of results and performances since Jurgen Klopp took charge and Ian Wright has shared why he thinks we’ve seen such a drop in performance level of late.

Speaking on Match of the Day, the 59-year-old said: “I think those seasons chasing City down has taken its toll.

“Especially still trying to play the high line when you’re not getting midfielders close enough to other midfielders to stop them from playing that ball over the top or playing that ball through the lines, it just seems that it’s very easy to get through at the minute”.

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With so much criticism of our midfield and a widespread call for new players to be bought in the position, there will no doubt be many that agree with the comments of the former Arsenal forward.

Seeing that Manchester City are also currently struggling and have only recorded one more point that ourselves in the past 10 games, maybe the past years of duelling have impacted the current form of both sides.

You can watch Wright’s comments on Liverpool via @BBCSport on Twitter:

"I think those seasons chasing City down has taken its toll." @IanWright0 explains why he thinks Liverpool are struggling this season.#BBCFootball #MOTD #LFC pic.twitter.com/wtQoTeE0zY

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 15, 2023

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