Gary Neville believes Liverpool lacks a holding midfielder of Declan Rice’s calibre that could prevent them from winning the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola dared to dream about having a midfield of Declan Rice and Rodri during the summer. Had it not been for Arsenal’s interest and groundwork for the England international, the former Werst Ham star may have ended up at Manchester City.
Arsenal paid £105 million to secure Rice from West Ham and beat Manchester City to the midfielder’s signing. The move has paid solid dividends so far as the English and international already look like a difference maker for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Rice has proved instrumental in wins over Manchester United, where he scored a late winner and then on Sunday against Manchester City. The England star was a key performer in Arsneal’s narrow win over Guardiola’s side at the Emirates, with Gabriel Martinelli’s late goal the difference.
Gary Neville has now given his thoughts on another subject, Liverpool, in the aftermath of the Arsenal-Manchester City game. The Sky Sports Pundit on the Gary Neville Podcast insisted Liverpool missed a player of Rice’s calibre that may prevent them from winning the Premier League title.
Neville said, “If you put Declan Rice in Liverpool’s holding midfield position or you put Rodri in there, I would be saying Liverpool would definitely be on for the title.
“My question mark is whether they have enough solidity in midfield, enough defensive strength and power. “I don’t think Liverpool will quite get there, but they are in the race, there’s no doubt, because of the manager. “The manager is absolutely outstanding.”
Rice is the sort of player that improves any side, including Liverpool. Neville also mentions Rodri, who has been phenomenal for Manchester City and the way they play. It’s no coincidence that Guardiola’s side have lost their last three domestic games in all competitions, all of which missed Rodri due to a suspension.
As for Liverpool, they tried very hard, albeit late, to get a holding midfielder in their ranks. Jurgen Klopp chased Romeo Lavia for a long time during the summer, and then Moises Caicedo. Liverpool even made a £110 million bid for the latter, but eventually, the duo decided to sign for Chelsea.
Liverpool, instead, ended up signing Wataru Endo, and the Japanese star remains the only natural option to slot in the defensive midfield position. Yet, he’s not a holding player in the mould of Rice or Rodri, which the modern game demands.
Hence, Neville’s comments may come true that Liverpool will fail to win the Premier League with their current squad and without a player like Rice.
