frontpageLiverpool FC NewsFeaturesChampions League Liverpool's midfield needs to be reassessed, because a lot of fans wrong about it

Liverpool have a very good midfield and it compares well to Manchester City's - so why the criticism?

Henderson and Fabinho are part of a very good Liverpool midfield (Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

There is no stronger correlation in football right now than results and the perception of Liverpool's midfield. This might seem a bold statement, one which cannot be quantified and evidenced, but even if it isn't strictly true, it is partly true. It certainly feels true.

Take a look at some of these reactions after the Champions League defeat to SSC Napoli in September. There would be more, but this is a family-friendly website.

It was not just social media, either. Fan sites and the Liverpool Echo's Blood Red podcast both focused on the midfield set-up, despite Fabinho putting in a masterclass in the no.6 role.

It is the only real time there has been criticism of the midfield this season (although there have been murmurs in close games too, such are the standards Liverpool now set). It is also the only game the Reds have lost since the start of the campaign.

The midfield - or certain combinations of it - has often been lamented. I have done so on several occasions, the low point probably being the 2-1 defeat in Paris against PSG last November in the Champions League. It was a competition they would go on to win.

Since Liverpool are winning, and winning often, it is probably time to celebrate the midfield. It is underrated right now. Not just because it facilitates the work of the full-backs and creates the platform of the front three, but because it is performing well in its own right. It is doing what Jurgen Klopp needs it to do.

The make-up of the midfield is something which has, quite quietly, been impressive. The criticisms around the trio of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner being too similar are understandable, but it can also be argued each individual in Klopp's midfield serves a different function, and has a different purpose.