Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has questioned his former side's summer spending, claiming that the team "no longer looks right" without talismanic striker Luis Suarez.
The ex-Reds defender has also criticised the amount of money spent on Dejan Lovren, the man seen by many as his long-term replacement.
"No matter how brave a face you try to put on the situation, you cannot under-estimate how damaging it is to lose part of the spine of your team. You know you are losing a world-class talent and the team no longer looks right," he wrote in the Daily Mail.
"Our problem in 2009 was the fact Alonso's replacement, Alberto Aquilani, arrived injured and struggled to make an impact. This year Rodgers has seen his band's lead singer move on and, so far, it seems as if Suarez has been replaced with backing singers.
"I know it's early days but, when you have spent £38m on defenders like Dejan Lovren and Mamadou Sakho, you don't want to be hearing about settling in. You want instant results but Liverpool are shipping goals."
Lovren has insisted that he is ready for his first Merseyside derby this afternoon.
Phil Archbold
