Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat at Brighton laid bare one of the biggest issues facing Arne Slot as the season reaches its defining stretch: his midfield simply lacked intensity.
Brighton covered 116km to Liverpool’s 108km, and the most damning part was that James Milner — now 40 — was right at the heart of the side outworking them.
That stings even more given Milner’s history at Anfield. Across eight seasons at Liverpool, he was the ultimate Klopp-era operator: reliable, selfless, tactically sharp and relentlessly hard-running, the kind of midfielder who set standards.
Just how bad do you want Arne Slot gone? 😬
Seeing him, in Brighton colours, still covering ground and showing more bite than Slot’s midfield unit was a brutal reminder of what Liverpool are missing.
Liverpool aren’t running enough and James Milner showed it
At 40, Milner should not be outrunning Liverpool’s engine room — but he was, and that is a serious problem.
Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, in particular, have looked leggy for much of the campaign. Neither has carried the authority or physical sharpness Liverpool need in the middle of the pitch, especially when games become stretched and combative.
Dominik Szoboszlai is the exception because his running power and intensity never really seem to drop, but one midfielder cannot carry the entire burden on his own.
That is what made Milner’s display so glaring. Post-match running figures credited him with 13.21km, while Liverpool’s midfield unit averaged 12.35km.
Those numbers are bad enough in isolation, but they look even worse when you remember Milner is 40 and the Liverpool players around him are in their physical prime. That simply is not acceptable for a side still trying to compete at the top end of the table.
There was also a moment that summed it all up, when Milner got to a loose ball ahead of Florian Wirtz despite being 18 years his elder.
Wirtz is one of Liverpool’s most gifted players, but scenes like that feed the argument that this squad can still be too easy to outrun and overpower when the game turns into a physical contest.
Milner deserves enormous credit, of course. He spent eight years at Liverpool setting standards for professionalism, and this was another reminder of why he was so valued at Anfield.
Where do you rank James Milner in the pantheon of Liverpool greats?
But admiration for Milner should come with an uncomfortable truth for Liverpool: if a 40-year-old former Red can still expose them physically, recruitment has to reflect that.
Even if it means making a big call on Mac Allister or Curtis Jones, Liverpool may need to bring in a more powerful, athletic midfielder next season — someone who can match Szoboszlai’s legs and stop the engine room from looking so vulnerable. Steven Gerrard thinks Liverpool need that profile, and I tend to agree.
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