"Injuries have hurt Liverpool badly, but they have not played with the same intensity either. Some players have felt sorry for themselves," Graeme Souness told in his column for The Times.
"They have not responded as well as Jurgen Klopp would have expected or wanted them to. They felt it wasn’t their year and have meekly accepted that.
"They need to rebuild their midfield — it’s the catalyst for their pressing. People talk about the strikers, but a lot of their success was based on getting the ball back so quickly because of Georginio Wijnaldum, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho putting a shift in.
"Wijnaldum is leaving for Barcelona and I’m not sure how I’d have reacted to a player who made it clear he was off, how that goes down in a dressing-room. The players may make a joke of it, but it also may not sit well with all of them.
"He’s not played with the same intensity this season, Henderson has been absent with injuries, Naby Keita has not shown he can step up, Milner’s another year older, Fabinho’s often filled in at centre back and Thiago Alcantara has come into a team that’s been huffing and puffing."
This week, it has been reported that Wijnaldum has given Liverpool hope for prolonging his stay at Anfield. Since then, however, plenty of reports have emerged claiming that nothing has changed, and Gini is still refusing to accept the contract offer.
The Dutchman's contract expires on June 30, but he is already able to talk to foreign clubs about joining them as a free agent. Barcelona and Inter Milan are understood to be interested.
