Joe Cole has claimed that James Ward-Prowse could cause Liverpool problems when they take on Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon.
Liverpool have looked vulnerable in defence in the opening few games of this season with Jurgen Klopp opting to play quite a high defensive line, which attracted criticism from Rio Ferdinand after the Community Shield defeat to Manchester City.
The Reds set up in a similar way in the Super Cup final against Chelsea on Wednesday night as the match finished 2-2 after extra time before Klopp’s men won the penalty shootout.
Cole reckons that Liverpool will adapt to this high line soon, but in the meantime, he expects Saints midfielder Ward-Prowse to be someone who will enjoy playing against them this weekend.
“They’ve been told to get high, they’re getting high, but they’re just not getting enough pressure on the ball,” said Cole on BT Sport 2 on Wednesday night after the Super Cup final.
“So if you give people like Jorginho time on the ball, he’s going to pick a pass.
“Players in the Premier League will pick you apart.
“Southampton will have Ward-Prowse at the weekend. If you give him the time he’ll pick a pass or someone will make a run.
“The cohesion’s not there at the moment, it’s going to take time and a bit of fitness.”
OPINION
Ward-Prowse is a good player and is definitely someone who Liverpool will have to keep an eye on when they play against Southampton this weekend. Klopp’s men will be tired after their midweek win against Chelsea in Turkey so fans should expect the German to make plenty of changes to his starting line-up. Southampton’s players will be a lot more fresh and at full strength, which could pose a problem for the European champions. Ward-Prowse is a very strong passer of the ball but was not at his best – no one for Southampton was – in the 3-0 defeat to Burnley last week. Ralph Hasenhuttl will want a response from his players but Liverpool are likely to use fringe players at St Mary’s that will also be trying to stake a claim for their spot in the first-team. High line or not, it would be a massive shock if Liverpool lost this match, they have too much quality in their squad for Southampton to deal with.
