Michael Owen criticised Fabinho, Naby Keita and Harvey Elliott after his former club Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Crystal Palace.
Despite hitting the woodwork twice at Selhurst Park, an absence of quality in the final third meant Jurgen Klopp's side failed to make it a hat-trick of consecutive Premier League wins. They did, however, still move above Brighton and into seventh place.
The clean sheet will have acted as a much-needed confidence booster, too, after Tuesday night's defensive disaster in the 5-2 Champions League hammering by Real Madrid.
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While a draw was not the desired outcome, Liverpool now face back-to-back home games as they bid to further close the gap on Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.
Owen, however, was not in such optimistic spirits. He was quick to dish out criticism for the aforementioned midfield trio but did reserve some praise for the club's elder statesmen.
“The leadership quality over the years has been very evident for Liverpool,” said Owen to Premier League Productions. “I think it was no surprise that he (Klopp) put a lot of experienced players on the pitch, especially after the loss against Real Madrid.
“It’s also an area (the midfield) that will be changing soon. James Milner can’t go on forever. Jordan Henderson can’t go on forever. I think that area of the pitch is going to need a bit of surgery and I think it’s going to happen in the summer – everyone can see it. Jurgen Klopp can see it.
“People talk about the age of the midfield there, whether Milner or Henderson should be replaced. They are still their best players in there – people say they are too old, but they are still the best players.
“Fabinho has been average this season. Really average. Harvey Elliott, when he came on at half-time, he give the ball away more than he kept it. Naby Keita is just not good enough for a midfielder, in my opinion, for Liverpool. It’s all right fans saying, ‘we need to change Henderson, we need to change Milner and get a new youngster in’.
“But they are actually the best of what Liverpool have got, at the moment. It might be the others that need to be changed. Considering their age, they have been doing a sterling job and have been for a long, long time.”
The Reds return to action on Wednesday when they welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers to Anfield before playing host to Manchester United next Sunday.
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