Liverpool Need More Grit, Argues Former Striker Aldridge

Former Liverpool favourite John Aldridge contends that the team is "lacking characters" and must increase their effort to contend in the Premier League this season.

Following a Premier League title win in 2025, Liverpool's performance declined significantly last season, finishing fifth and a distant 25 points behind champions Arsenal. This dip in form led to manager Arne Slot's departure.

With Andoni Iraola now at the helm and a relatively quiet transfer window so far, coupled with the departures of key players like Mo Salah, Andrew Robertson, and Ibrahima Konaté, Aldridge suggests the squad is short on experienced leadership.

"There were characters everywhere in the squad two or three years ago, but I think they’re lacking in that department now," Aldridge stated in an interview with 101 Great Goals in conjunction with BetGoodwin. "Players like James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Andy Robertson are exactly what you want in the dressing room and they’re hard to replace."

Recalling his own successful era, Aldridge added, "The best teams I played in had characters. They made training enjoyable because you had a laugh and you looked forward to being together, but you also worked really hard. You’ve got to be serious when the time comes, but it’s still important to have fun and build team spirit."

Aldridge, who won the league title and FA Cup with Liverpool in the 1980s before successful spells in Spain and as manager of Tranmere Rovers, is looking for a greater contribution from Liverpool's current players. He dismisses the notion that they are overworked.

"I liked Andoni Iraola’s honesty when he came out and said that his players didn’t have the energy to last 90 minutes. We could all see that last season and they dropped too many points in the final minutes. They weren’t fit enough physically or mentally. What we saw from them last season wasn’t what a Liverpool side should be," he remarked.

"They had their injury problems, but you can’t use that as an excuse for getting outrun by your opposition. Chelsea only outran their opponents twice last season, and that was both the games against Liverpool. That shouldn’t happen at Liverpool."

Expressing his skepticism about player burnout, Aldridge, who played until his mid-thirties, said, "When it comes to the conversation about players 'burning out', I’m probably a bit of a dinosaur. After the World Cup in 1994, I was 36 going on 37, I only had eight days off and I trained every day, then I went straight back to playing for Tranmere Rovers in Division Two. I needed a rest and at that age it is tough, but I still did really well."

"I’m not having it when people say players are burnt out. How can the Liverpool players be burnt out when they’ve basically had 12 months rest when you look at how they played last season? They’re young, fit, they get the best nutrition and the best training – just get on with it!"

While Liverpool has secured the signing of Victor Munoz this summer, they still appear short in attacking reinforcements, with speculation about a move for PSG winger Bradley Barcola persisting.

Aldridge believes this is an area that requires attention. "It is a big ask for young Rio Ngumoha to come straight in and fill Mo Salah’s shoes," Aldridge commented. "That said, the crowd love him and he is the new favourite at Anfield. There’s a buzz in the stadium any time he gets the ball."

He also addressed the potential transfer for Barcola: "Liverpool are being held to ransom by PSG at the moment with the Barcola transfer. As good as he is, PSG are throwing around figures like €140 million and that is a load of nonsense. I do think Liverpool need another winger because you basically need two starting XIs in the Premier League nowadays."

Liverpool's Premier League campaign is set to begin against Newcastle on Sunday, August 23rd.