Jamie Carragher says Liverpool have not spent money well enough after Fenerbahçe defeat

Jamie Carragher used Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Fenerbahçe to argue that the squad is expensive but still not balanced enough. In the Fenerbahçe vs Liverpool game, Liverpool were 2-1 up with 20 minutes to play in Istanbul, but the teenagers stood out more than some of the senior names.

Carragher told Sky Sports that the result “reinforces to supporters that the squad Liverpool have got is very expensive, but not as good as it should be and not as balanced as it should be.” He added that Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha “were the best players for Liverpool”.

Nyoni and Ngumoha outshone the senior names

Nyoni scored Liverpool's opener, while Alexander Isak added the second goal, before the night slipped away. Carragher's sharper point was that the younger pair have been making their case in a way that some of the more expensive players have not. He said Bradley Barcola had come in for £120m, played up front, and “didn't play well”, while the younger players were better.

The numbers fit that view. Nyoni has a 7.33 Champions League rating across 3 appearances, and he has already scored 1 Champions League goal this season. Ngumoha has a 7.03 rating and 2 Champions League assists. Liverpool are also 8th in the Champions League table with 9 points from 4 matches, so the defeat landed in a run where points are already tightening.

Carragher also pointed to the midfield. He said Liverpool have given big contracts this summer to Ryan Gravenberch and Szoboszlai, with Nyoni ahead of Gravenberch and Szoboszlai struggling for rhythm against Fenerbahçe. That is Carragher's opinion, but it is hard to ignore how the match played out when the teenagers left the louder impression in Istanbul.