Joyce names two players Liverpool desperately need right now

It’s a damning assessment of where Liverpool are right now, and according to Paul Joyce, the issues run far deeper than just one bad result at the Etihad.

Writing for The Times, the respected Liverpool correspondent has pointed directly at a lack of leadership and mentality within the current squad, suggesting we are missing two figures who once defined standards at the club.

Joyce highlights Henderson and Milner absence

Reflecting on the fallout from the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City, Joyce didn’t hold back when analysing what he sees as a worrying shift in attitude.

He wrote: “When the captain, Virgil van Dijk, is admitting the team essentially gave up at one point… and Dominik Szoboszlai… concedes ‘none of us’ were fighting ‘as much as we could’, then there could hardly be a bigger indictment of the present malaise.”

That alone underlines just how serious things have become, because when both the current skipper and a potential future leader are questioning the fight within the group, it points to something fundamentally wrong.

The journalist then delivered the key line that many supporters will agree with: “What they would give to have someone like Jordan Henderson or James Milner back in the fold right now.”

Liverpool mentality concerns grow before PSG

The reference to Jordan Henderson and James Milner isn’t just nostalgia, it’s about the standards those two set on and off the pitch, particularly in moments like this.

Joyce added: “Attitudes have altered and standards have certainly slipped. That reflects terribly on the players and also the man supposed to be inspiring them.”

That inevitably brings Arne Slot into the conversation, because while players must take responsibility, the manager is expected to set the tone.

We’ve already heard Dominik Szoboszlai admit that the fighting spirit “wasn’t there enough”, while Virgil van Dijk said he felt for the fans after such a poor display, and those comments now look even more concerning when placed alongside this analysis.

Joyce’s final warning is perhaps the most important: “Time for a new group to step up when it’s difficult.”

With a huge Champions League tie against PSG looming, that is exactly what we need to see, because right now this team looks like one that is missing not just quality, but the mentality that once defined us.