"He’s earnt the right to do that" - Pundit slams two Liverpool stars and tells Jurgen Klopp what to do in the summer

Former Chelsea left-back Scott Minto has criticized Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold and asked manager Jurgen Klopp to rebuild the Liverpool squad this summer.

The Reds dropped points against Crystal Palace on Saturday (February 25) after a goalless draw at Selhurst Park. The Eagles, in fact, could have won the game had Alexander-Arnold been punished for his first-half mistake.

The England international was easily dispossessed by Jeffrey Schlupp on the edge of his own box which led to Jean-Philippe Mateta's shot clipping the bar on its way out.

Speaking after the game, Minto told TalkSPORT:

"First of all, Jurgen Klopp needs to look in the mirror and see if he can go again. I genuinely believe he can and he’s earnt the right to do that with what he’s done. It’s one bad season.

"He needs to rebuild in the way Sir Alex Ferguson has done. He needs to go to the board and say, ‘how much money have I got?’ It’s all very well saying Liverpool need two midfielders – how much is Jude Bellingham going to cost? How much is a Declan Rice, or someone like that, going to cost?

He went on to criticize two of Liverpool's mainstays in defense and said:

“But where else does he need to do it? The defenders need to step up their performances. Even Virgil van Dijk, not long ago one of the best central defenders in world football, he’s a million miles from where he was.

“Trent, I’m sorry, it’s not lazy punditry to say that defensively he’s not very good. I’d be fascinated to know if he came off tonight with a niggle or not, or whether it was a tactical thing to put James Milner at right back when you’re chasing a game.”

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Liverpool are running out of time to salvage their season

Liverpool have looked jaded, exhausted and clueless at times this season. Their decline is surprising considering they were on track to win the quadruple last season until May.

The Reds are seventh in the table - six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur - with a game in hand. Failure to qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season will be a huge blow for manager Jurgen Klopp.

Winning the competition is one way to secure automatic qualification for the following season. However, Liverpool are on the verge of elimination after losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash.

The Merseyside-based giants are also out of both domestic cup competitions. They need to string together a number of wins domestically and hope for a miracle at the Santiago Bernabeu to salvage their season.