• Premier League

'Bullied' Liverpool have no leaders - Carragher

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has suggested his former club is lacking leaders after their latest crushing defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.

Last season's Premier League runners-up find themselves languishing just four points off the relegation zone after the 3-1 reverse at Selhurst Park meant they have lost half of their opening 12 matches in what has been a disastrous start to the season.

Manager Brendan Rodgers accepted full responsibility for the slump in his side's fortunes after his latest setback, with Carragher fearing there are fundamental flaws in the Liverpool side that have failed to get out of first gear over the last few months.

Liverpool were outmuscled and outplayed at Selhurst Park © Getty Images

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"I'm very worried as a Liverpool fan," Carragher told Sky Sports. "When you're watching your own team, the worst thing you can ever think is they're being bullied and weak.

"This is more than just a poor start. There's something wrong. Something isn't right. They are getting bullied out of games. At the end of last season when they lost at Palace, we said they were mentally and physically weak. Same again, nothing's changed.

"That's what we've seen from Liverpool [at Palace] and it's not the first time. It's being going on all season and we're saying new players are getting time to adjust. I'm not a big believer in that.

"Luis Suarez has gone. So what? There's no leadership on the pitch. You look at the time and there's no men in the team. Sometimes you've grind results out."

Carragher went on to suggest the acclimatisation period for the glut of signings Rodgers made last summer should now be over and said the new players have to start delivering.

"I've never moved clubs and I'm sure for a foreign player it takes a bit of time, but we're getting to the stage now where you want to start seeing performances," he added.

"Liverpool aren't getting beat by quality, they're getting bullied. They've been beaten by enthusiasm there by Crystal Palace. You knew it was coming. Palace got the equaliser. As soon as that goal went in Liverpool didn't offer anything.

"We had that last season and it cost Liverpool the league. They conceded 50 goals last season and it hasn't been rectified. You're already looking at players and thinking Liverpool need four or five players."

Rodgers has been installed by some bookies as the third favourite to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job, with only Aston Villa's Paul Lambert and QPR's Harry Redknapp ahead of him in the betting stakes.

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