Jamie Carragher has urged Liverpool to go out and make two summer signings following their Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle.
The former defender, who made 737 appearances for Liverpool between 1996 and 2013, delivered a brutally honest assessment of their lacklustre performance on Sunday.
It has been a season to remember for the Reds, who currently sit 12 points clear in the Premier League title race with nine games to play.
But last week was a disaster, to say the least.
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Just days after being knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain, Arne Slot's side suffered a 2-1 defeat against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final.
Federico Chiesa managed to claw one back in stoppage time but Liverpool were dominated for large spells at Wembley as goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak sealed a historic win for the Magpies.
Speaking in his role as a pundit on Sky Sports, the no-nonsense Carragher explained why he "felt sorry" for Mohamed Salah, who struggled throughout Sunday's game.
“It was probably one of the worst performances I’ve seen from Liverpool in a cup final,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “But they’ve given so much this season and they’ve lost one league game. It’s hard to be too critical but it has shone a light on areas where Liverpool still need to improve.
“I think the lack of pace in attack is glaring. And I almost feel a little bit sorry for Mo Salah. He took a bit of criticism after the two Paris Saint-Germain games, against possibly the best left-back in the world Mendes, who was fantastic, he didn’t do too much and he wasn’t great today."
Carragher went on to point the finger at Salah's teammates, and even suggested Liverpool should dip their toe in the summer market for two new attackers.
"He doesn’t get help from the other attackers," Carragher continued. "This isn’t like under Jurgen Klopp where [Sadio] Mane or [Roberto] Firmino could bail them out of trouble. The other attackers Liverpool have got are good players but they’re not great players.
“They’ve relied on him (Salah) too much, so I don’t want to see too much criticism of Mo Salah over this last week. What it’s shone a light on is that Liverpool need to go out and buy two attackers – not as squad players, but possibly to play alongside Mo Salah, hopefully, next season."
He added: “I’ve been excited thinking it looks like Liverpool are going to win the league and there is still lots to improve – and I think they will in the summer.”
Thoughts on his views? Do Liverpool need to go out and buy two attackers to play alongside Salah next season? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Liverpool, Carabao Cup, Newcastle United, Jamie Carragher, Mohamed Salah
Jack Kenmare