Why Left-Back Is the Position Liverpool Most Need to Reinforce This Summer

The criticism aimed at Liverpool left-back Alberto Moreno in the wake of a poor performance in May’s UEFA Europa League final defeat to Sevilla—from pundits, former players and supporters in the stands—was undoubtedly overblown, but it also served to highlight a major flaw in Jurgen Klopp’s current squad.

Leading the opprobrium was former Reds vice-captain Jamie Carragher, who took to Twitter (h/t the Telegraph’s Sean Gibson) shortly after Liverpool’s 3-1 loss at FC Basel’s St. Jakob-Park to urge “Jurgen, transfer committee, anyone” to move to replace Moreno.

This was not the first time Carragher expressed his doubt over Moreno’s ability as a top-level left-back, as the 38-year-old highlighted the Spaniard and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet as two weak links back in February, following the Reds’ Capital One Cup final loss to Manchester City, speaking to Sky Sports (h/t the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle):

The left-back has to come out of the team. This is not a one-off today in terms of the goal.

[Jon] Flanagan has come back fit and has to go into the team in midweek, [Klopp] has to change the left-back.

Flanagan played left-back when they nearly won the league. He can’t be worse than [Moreno].

Though clearly holding a long-held disdain for Moreno as Liverpool’s first-choice left-back, Carragher is not alone in his call for Klopp to sign a replacement following the Europa League showpiece.

For example, Lee Thomas-Mason of Metro corralled Moreno into a group of misfiring former Liverpool left-backs in Djimi Traore, Andrea Dossena and Jose Enrique, while comparing them to “a formidable list of names” in Alan Kennedy, Ronnie Moran, Alec Lindsay and John Arne Riise.

Providing a more measured stance, however, was Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett, who concluded in his review of the Spaniard’s 2015/16 campaign for This is Anfield that Moreno still has “growth in his game,” despite his pitfalls.

Matchett also proffered that Moreno should be left to “adapt or improve in the background of another season with the club,” rather than be sold this summer, and therein lies one of Klopp’s priorities.

Reinforcing his left-back ranks should be at the top of the German’s list as he builds his squad for 2016/17, his first full campaign on Merseyside—though a complete overhaul should not be on the cards at this juncture.

What a turnaround! Coke scores his second of the game to put @SevillaFC_ENG 3-1 up. #UELfinal https://t.co/SHPRPwbfmO

— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) May 18, 2016

Prompting Carragher’s ire and sealing Liverpool’s fate in the Europa League final, Sevilla midfielder Coke’s second goal of the night served as the perfect encapsulation of Moreno’s flaws as a left-back.

With Coke peeling off the shoulder of Moreno as he …

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