Michael Owen has criticized Fabinho, Naby Keita and Harvey Elliott after his former club Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace.
Despite hitting two woodwork at Selhurst Park, a lack of quality in the final third saw Jurgen Klopp’s side fail to complete a hat-trick of consecutive Premier League wins. However, they still moved above Brighton to finish seventh.
The clean sheet will also have served as a much-needed confidence booster, following Tuesday night’s defensive disaster in Real Madrid’s 5-2 hamster in the Champions League.
Although a draw was not the desired result, Liverpool are now playing back-to-back home games to further close the gap to fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. However, Owen was not in such an optimistic mood. He was quick to criticize the aforementioned midfield trio, but reserved praise for the club’s leading statesmen.
“The quality of Liverpool’s leadership has been very evident over the years,” Owen told Premier League Productions. “I think it was no surprise that he (Klopp) brought a lot of experienced players onto the pitch, especially after the loss to Real Madrid.
“It’s also an area (the midfield) that will soon change. James Milner can’t go on like this forever. Jordan Henderson can’t go on like this forever. I think that area of the pitch needs a bit of surgery and I think it will happen in the summer – everyone can see it. Jurgen Klopp sees it.
“People are talking there about the age of the midfield, whether Milner or Henderson should be replaced. They’re still their best players in there – people say they’re too old, but they’re still their best players.
“Fabinho has been average this season. Really average. Harvey Elliott gave away more of the ball when he went into half-time than he held it. Naby Keita isn’t good enough to be a midfielder, in my opinion, for Liverpool. It’s normal for fans to say, “We have to change Henderson, we have to change Milner and bring in a new youngster.”
“But these are the best Liverpool have to offer right now. Maybe it’s the others that need to be changed. Considering their age, they are doing a great job and have been for a very, very long time.
The Reds return on Wednesday when they host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield before hosting Manchester United next Sunday.