Liverpool ‘haven’t got the options’ to compete in Premier League after playing in UEFA Champions League, says Steven Gerrard following Brighton loss

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Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool's squad does not have sufficient depth to compete on multiple fronts after Arne Slot's team lacked energy in their latest Premier League defeat away to Brighton & Hove Albion, a result which hurt their hopes of qualifying for next season's UEFA Champions League. Former captain Gerrard, speaking on TNT Sports, pointed to Slot making only two changes as a big issue.

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Liverpool are missing the squad depth and energy to compete at the highest level in the Premier League after taking part in midweek UEFA Champions League action, Steven Gerrard said following The Reds' latest domestic defeat.

Liverpool lost 2-1 away to Brighton & Hove Albion just three days after demolishing Galatasaray 4-0 in the Champions League to book their spot in the competition’s quarter-finals.

The team Arne Slot picked to face Brighton had just two changes to the one he used against Galatasaray on Wednesday, with Alisson Becker and Mohamed Salah missing through injury. To make matters worse, Hugo Ekitike was forced off in the early stages at the Amex Stadium with a dead leg.

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Speaking on TNT Sports after the game, Gerrard said Liverpool’s depth has been tested by going deep in the Champions League.

”We’ve seen it quite a few times this season now where they put a lot of effort, performed really well in the Champions League stage,” the former Liverpool captain said.

”And all the emotion, all the energy, the intensity that you have to put in to win or get a result in those games, it’s having a big effect on them at the weekend.

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”They haven’t got the options in the squad or on the bench to really make numerous changes to bring that energy and quality into the team to perform at the same level they do in midweek. And they had to play a lot of the same players today, they made a couple of changes that were forced on them. The manager had to make changes rather than wanting to maintain energy and it backfired.”

The loss was a damaging one for Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League as they missed out on the opportunity to move into fourth spot in the table with a victory.

Although Slot said that it was an even first half, the Dutchman conceded that Brighton were ”the better team on the pitch” in the second half.

Slot said he was aware of his team’s struggles after playing in European football and also that he hopes this result will not be too damaging to their aims this season.

”You don’t need to have 24 points to qualify and hopefully I’m right because we’re not able to get 24 points from the eight games anymore,” he told TNT Sports. ”But we knew it was a final and we kept trying, in the second half we came close. But unfortunately it wasn’t enough.

”There’s always pressure when you’re at Liverpool. On me, on the players, that’s completely normal. We’ve qualified for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and the Champions League and, in the league we need to make sure that in the end we qualify for the Champions League.

"But as much as I dislike us losing today, Brighton away has always been a difficult one and it will always be a difficult one as long as they keep bringing so many good players in here.”

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