Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has warned that an unresolved midfield issue will prevent the club from competing for the Premier League title this season, despite the squad possessing immense individual talent.
Liverpool enter the new campaign under manager Andoni Iraola following a difficult 2025-26 season in which a fifth-place finish resulted in the sacking of Arne Slot.
While Liverpool have bolstered their squad this summer by signing winger Victor Munoz, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, and defender Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes, the club have yet to make any additions in central midfield.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, Carragher insisted that the open spaces that plagued Liverpool's midfield last season remain unaddressed after watching recent pre-season matches against Leeds United and Monaco.
"The midfield for me is still a huge problem for Liverpool," Carragher said. "I haven't watched all the pre-season games, but I watched the last two against decent opposition, it was Leeds and then Monaco. And the problem Liverpool had last season was there was space everywhere in midfield. That has not gone away at all."
Tactical concerns over Szoboszlai deployment
Carragher expressed particular concern regarding how Iraola plans to utilize Dominik Szoboszlai alongside Ryan Gravenberch in a box-to-box midfield role rather than as an advanced playmaker.
"That is only going to get bigger with the deployment of Szoboszlai in midfield," Carragher explained. "It looks like they are going to play him, rather than as a number 10, almost as a central midfield player alongside Gravenberch and that is just pure box-to-box."
The pundit called on Liverpool to sign an out-and-out number six to provide defensive stability and squad depth, warning that an overload of attacking energy could disrupt team balance.
Carragher, who made over 700 appearances for Liverpool during a 17-year senior career at Anfield, argued that having top-tier players in midfield does not automatically create a functional unit.
"I look at that midfield three and I worry," Carragher added. "When you name six or seven of Liverpool's players, you can't say they are not top players. You can't say Gravenberch is not a really good player, or Wirtz, or Szoboszlai. But as a midfield three, I look at that and think, oh no, there is almost too much quality, but they all want to go and play and run. And even in pre-season, the space is coming through the middle."
Squad turnover and title prospects
Liverpool won the Premier League title in 2024-25 before suffering a sharp decline last term, during which key figures Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate departed the club.
Carragher cast doubt on whether a preferred midfield trio of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch has the tactical balance required to mount a genuine championship challenge.
"I struggle to see how that midfield three, who are all individually really good players, is a midfield three that gets Liverpool back to competing for the title," Carragher said. "I am not sure about that at all."
Liverpool have recorded two wins and two defeats in their four pre-season fixtures so far. Iraola's side complete their pre-season schedule against Italian club Como this weekend before launching their Premier League campaign.
