“They’re not polished yet” - Gary Neville expresses concern over 3 Liverpool players as Reds lead title race
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has admitted he still isn't fully convinced by the Liverpool trio of Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz.
His comments came after the Reds defeated Newcastle United 4-2 at Anfield on Monday, January 1 to extend their stay at the top of the Premier League table. They now have 45 points from 20 games, three more than second-placed Aston Villa.
Mohamed Salah (49', 86') scored a brace and provided one assist, inspiring Liverpool to a dominant win over the Magpies. Curtis Jones (74') and Cody Gakpo (78') scored one goal apiece while Alexander Isak (54') and Sven Botman (81') netted two strikes for Newcastle.
Salah will now join up with the Egypt national team for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), meaning he will be unavailable for the next few games beginning with the FA Cup tie against Arsenal on January 7.
If Egypt progresses to the final, Salah could miss up to eight games for the Reds across all competitions. This would be a big loss as he has registered 18 goals and nine assists in 27 appearances for the Reds this season.
Gakpo, Nunez, and Diaz haven't quite been consistent with their goal scoring returns this season. The trio have scored 13 league goals between themselves, one less than Salah's individual tally of 14.
Neville reckons all three attackers need to become more prolific in Salah's absence so that Liverpool can continue their title charge this season.
He said (via Sky Sports):
"A lot of those players have left and they've got back to a transitional period like they were at the beginning under Klopp with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz. They're not polished yet. They're not at the peak of their careers where you start to make precise decisions."
Neville continued:
"There's an electricity to them but also a frustration that in the final third the last part can go a little bit wrong. You wonder what that's going to be like without Salah but they owe it to him to get through the next month still in the title, still at the top of the league and still ahead so they can give Salah a chance to come back and have a real go at the title."
He added:
"I didn't think Liverpool would be in a title race and I still don't think they'll do it. The hesitation I have in my voice is due to those three players [Gakpo, Nunez and Diaz] but Klopp is something different as a manager."
Liverpool's next game against the Gunners will be held at the Emirates.
Liverpool vs Newcastle: Exploring the stats from Premier League fixture
Liverpool secured a dominant 4-2 win against Newcastle United in the Premier League on Monday. Let's take a look at the stats to see how both teams performed.
The Reds dominated possession with 62 percent of the ball. They also attempted a total of 555 passes, with an accuracy of 84 percent. In contrast, Newcastle had 38 percent possession and attempted 351 passes, with an accuracy of 75 percent.
Liverpool looked dangerous in attack but were unable to make the most of their chances. They registered a total of 34 shots, with 15 being on target with an xG of 7.27 - the highest total recorded in the Premier League since the 2010-11 season. On the other hand, the Magpies had five shots in total, with three being on target.