Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit has explained why he is not convinced by Liverpool 's squad in either the Premier League or the Champions League this season.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea star believes Liverpool were right not to sell Cody Gakpo after his strong start, but has warned that a lack of depth will catch up with them when the fixtures pile up.
Petit has also assessed whether Liverpool should cash in on Jeremie Frimpong , and set out the challenge facing Bradley Barcola as he looks to become their new Mohamed Salah .
Gakpo's Response
Would Selling Cody Gakpo Have Been an Error?
All of a sudden, Cody Gakpo is proving how much he is worth to Liverpool , and I have really liked the way he has played in these last games. You know, sometimes when a player is linked with a move away like Gakpo , they can lose confidence and lose their place in the team, but I think the transfer window has had the other effect on him, to produce great performances. I don't think he ever wanted to leave Liverpool, and there was so much speculation about him all summer, and suddenly he has shown this side to his game, and it's amazing, and I have a feeling he's done that to prove to the chairman, to anybody else at Liverpool , that he wants to stay.
Some of his teammates made comments too in this way, saying he should keep his place at Liverpool , and now he's creating all these assists for Alexander Isak . It would have been a great error for them to sell him, and I think he is a good player, and he can improve too. He can do much more than what we've seen, but I like the fight he has shown to create those assists, and that will bring him more confidence to keep going as he tries to guarantee he has a future at Liverpool now. Can Gakpo and Isak become the combination that wins Liverpool a trophy this year? I don't think it would be a surprise, you know.
Frimpong's Fit
Should Liverpool Cash In on Jeremie Frimpong?
It is always difficult to compare a player like Jeremie Frimpong to what he was doing in Germany in a different team and in a different position. Last season, when he came to Liverpool , it was a terrible season for everyone at the club. It was not the perfect season for a new signing like him, or to find his fit in the group. Liverpool have changed their manager now, so it's difficult again for him to find some serenity at the club, and that can be really important for these kinds of players who are still to make their mark.
Could he leave Liverpool to be reunited with Xabi Alonso at Chelsea ? Well, I think that would be difficult too because against Arsenal , Chelsea finished the game with two right-backs on the pitch, and one of them was playing in midfield. We've seen Pedro Neto play as the wing-back. Their bag is very, very full in Frimpong 's position.
The Squad
Can Liverpool Win the Champions League or Premier League?
Liverpool have no chance of winning the Premier League or the Champions League this season, just like Manchester United . No way. I'm not convinced by their squad. I think they need to improve defensively. They need to improve as a team to find and play with a unity again. Their squad is also tiny in terms of real quality players or options on the bench, so there's no depth there, and when you have to play every three days with high intensity in the Champions League and the Premier League , you will crumble.
I was surprised to see Curtis Jones leave the club. I was always quite happy with him every time he had a chance to play. I was surprised they let him go. I don't see Liverpool performing at those levels with the best teams in Europe .
Bradley Barcola
Can Bradley Barcola Be the New Mohamed Salah?
Bradley Barcola needs to learn a different way of playing. Paris Saint-Germain play a very specific type of football. It's in their DNA how they respond to the position of the ball; everything is like an automation. Liverpool are different, but Barcola will bring them something they have been missing for the last two seasons: a man capable of running with the ball, taking the space behind the defenders, trying to break through into the final third and get one-on-one at all times. That kind of player can be dangerous every time they touch the ball.
Is Barcola going to play the same way he played for Paris Saint-Germain ? No, because Liverpool don't play the same way, but he will play with that same ability. The only question is whether he has the mental strength to cope with the price tag of his transfer. We will have to see on that. He didn't want to leave Paris . He wanted to get guarantees that he would play that the club would not give him, so he decided to move on, but that's not the outcome he wanted. He just wanted to play in the first XI every single game for PSG . He now has the chance to do that for Liverpool , and he needs to make an impact straight away. They cannot wait on him like Florian Wirtz or Alexander Isak .
I think Barcola is a player who will adapt very quickly to Liverpool . That's what happened at Paris Saint-Germain when he left Lyon . It took him a couple of weeks, but then he was showing his great ability. All that was missing was that last clinical touch because he didn't score enough goals and was missing many great opportunities. But he learned from that too, and he increased his level to take that next step, and for two seasons now he has proven to everyone that every time he has needed to show more quality, he has done that. Barcola 's problem was that when you have Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in front of you, who, for me, is probably the best player in his position in the world, it's no shame to end up on the bench, but I think Barcola will do some good things for Liverpool .
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