Carragher takes swipe at Van Dijk and explains why Liverpool will not win title

Jamie Carragher has detailed exactly why Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will not win the Premier League title this season and criticised Virgil van Dijk.

The Reds managed a 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. They did so without Jurgen Klopp, who is isolating after contracting Covid-19. Pep Lijnders took charge of the team at Stamford Bridge and he would have been delighted with their start.

They raced into a 2-0 lead with goals Sadio Mane and Mo Salah. But they were pegged back by the hosts. Mateo Kovacic scored a brilliant first before Chrsitian Pulisic made it 2-2 at the end of the first half.

Both teams pushed for a winner in a thrilling second half, but both sides had to settle for a point.

It leaves Liverpool 11 points behind leaders Manchester City, albeit with a game in hand. And with the prospect of Mane and Salah now leaving for the African Cup of Nations, Liverpool’s title hopes look slim.

And former Liverpool defender Carragher believes his old club’s tendency to let leads slip away will be their Achilles heel this season.

“I think when you’re always in the lead, certainly two-nil up against a big rival you’ve got to be disappointed,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

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“I think Liverpool will be pleased with a point. I think you can see that with the changes Liverpool made in bringing Mane off and Curtis Jones coming on.

“But, that’s why Liverpool won’t win the league this season. Liverpool have taken the lead 17 times this season and so have Manchester City but Man City have won every single one.

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“Liverpool have won 12 so what Liverpool are lacking that they had in that title-winning season is actually control of a football game.”

“What we’re watching here today and at Tottenham, that’s Jurgen Klopp in year one or year two.

“Five times now they’ve taken the lead this season they haven’t won the game and that’s the difference between Liverpool and Man City right now.”

Carragher believes Liverpool’s inability to put adequate pressure on the ball is costing them dear.

Klopp has always played with a high defensive line, but that has been exposed in recent months. And he says  Van Dijk was not sharp enough to cover at Stamford Bridge.

Carragher points finger at Van Dijk

“It does feel at times this season where Liverpool are really on the edge of it being too much,” Carragher told Sky Sports.

“Now, whether that’s because the midfield this season are not getting enough pressure on the ball because I think midfield has been a problem for Liverpool this season.

“The line is still the same but they’re not getting that pressure in midfield on the ball. But if you’re not getting that pressure you’ve got to drop at times.

“It’s not, ‘we can’t play high,’ but there are certain situations where Liverpool’s back four have to go back five yards. It happened at West Ham and cost them the game there.

“That [Pulisic] goal. What we see now because teams are so high trying to keep that line, Liverpool’s centre-backs always stay in line with each other.

“You never see them come around the back and cover the other one. The reason Virgil van Dijk can’t get across is because initially he is walking.

“He’s not on his toes, he is walking and then the gap between him and Konate is just too big and he’s never going to get there.”

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