Steven Gerrard has accused Liverpool of being "too nice" after Andoni Iraola's side were forced to come from behind in a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday afternoon.
The former Liverpool captain warned that the manager must add "nastiness" to his squad or risk missing out on major silverware at key moments this season.
Liverpool fell behind twice during the match, requiring goals from Alexander Isak and Victor Munoz to salvage a point for the second weekend running in the Premier League.
Speaking as a pundit on TNT Sports, Gerrard expressed concern over Liverpool's lack of physical aggression and tackling in midfield and defense.
"I think this Liverpool team is a little bit too nice," Gerrard told TNT Sports. "They lack a destroyer. They don't make many tackles or win many duels. They're a nice team."
He added that physical development is vital for Iraola to progress the squad. "That's the next development for this manager to change this team. They have to be more physical and aggressive," Gerrard said.
Concerns over physical steel and duels
Reflecting on Liverpool's recent performances, Gerrard insisted that technical talent alone will not win major trophies without physical resilience.
"Last week, they would have won that game if they were more up for the duel, up for the tackle, people wanting to take yellow cards, people being nastier, uglier to play against," Gerrard explained.
"Sometimes you win games a different way. They've got a load of nice technical players, a load of top talents, but they lack nastiness, and that's what the manager has got to get in this team. If not, when the big prizes come out at key times of the season, Liverpool won't be there. They lack nastiness and oomph."
Liverpool dominated possession with 69 per cent of the ball at Anfield but managed just four shots on target throughout the 90 minutes.
Nottingham Forest took the lead in the 24th minute when Dan Ndoye scored following a long ball over the top of the Liverpool defense.
Liverpool equalized when Cody Gakpo delivered a superb cross to unlock the Forest defense for Alexander Isak to score. Forest went ahead again in the second half when Morgan Gibbs-White converted a penalty after Alisson was judged to have fouled Neco Williams, before Victor Munoz secured the draw with a sizzling finish.
Touchline anger over penalty and delayed substitutions
The performance saw issues from last season resurface for Liverpool, who were Premier League champions two seasons ago. Iraola's side remained vulnerable to counter-attacks and second-best in physical battles.
After the match, Iraola voiced fury over the penalty decision and a prolonged delay in making substitutions on the touchline.
"With the penalty, the situation has already finished when the contact appears. And it's not an aggressive contact," Iraola told the BBC.
Iraola was particularly frustrated with fourth official Tim Robinson, who experienced issues with the electronic substitution board, causing a delay of about three minutes.
"But more than this we complained about the subs. We had to wait about three minutes," Iraola said. "He was having an issue with the board, I don't know if it was not working, but we definitely wanted to do the subs the last two or three stoppages before the goal. It wasn't just that reason but everything helps."
Speaking to TNT Sports, Iraola added: "A professional fourth official cannot take three minutes. We'd already given him the subs two or three minutes before. I was already angry because in the previous stoppage we couldn't make the subs and then before throw-in I thought we could do it. I don't know, they will have to explain it. But it has taken ages."
Gerrard sympathized with Iraola's frustration over the technical delay but insisted Liverpool should have defended the situation better regardless.
"You can understand the frustration: in this day and age, with all the technology, it can't be taking three minutes to make a triple substitution," Gerrard told TNT Sports. "But I think it's a small problem in the overall problem because it's a goal that can be avoided."
