Former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville said that Liverpool have a strong squad depth. The former right-back also stated that the club is a threat to defending Premier League champions Manchester City. The reds began their Premier League campaign strongly by thrashing West Ham 4-0.
Gary Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast, “I think Liverpool are the side [City] will feel threatened by directly. Certainly in terms of the style of play, Liverpool have certainly got the measure of Manchester City. You can see that. City like to push up the pitch, the centre-backs play high and even push in when they’re attacking. The likes of Mane, Salah, Firmino, if you leave space in-behind, they just cut right through you.
I think directly there is a threat, and I think indirectly in terms of the bigger picture in the league, certainly with the signings they have made, the good feeling of getting into a Champions League final and finishing in the top four consecutive seasons is something where City will feel a threat. People are not feeling that way about Manchester United or Tottenham or Chelsea at this moment in time, because of what has happened in pre-season. So those teams will have work their way into City’s thoughts. But there does seem to be a definite threat from Liverpool at this moment in time, but Liverpool will have to prove that.”
Neville also opined that the presence of Virgil van Dijk has fortified Liverpool’s defense and also compared the Dutchman to his former United teammate Jaap Stam. The 43-year old said, “I thought Van Dijk was a good player at Southampton, but I didn’t think he was worth £75m, and I didn’t think he would have the impact on Liverpool’s defence that he’s had. He’s a monster, and is looking a bit like Jaap Stam. It looks like he just throws people out of the way.”
About the club’s squad depth, Neville added, “You look at that midfield, with Wijnaldum, Keita and Milner, with Henderson still to come in. There is some strength in depth there. Can Liverpool reproduce that high-intensity football Saturday-Wednesday? And did they need another centre-forward in case Firmino is out? Because I do think there is a big drop in intensity in their play when him or Salah are not playing.”
Liverpool’s next League game is against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday.
