Luis Garcia claims Liverpool's Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan lack 'character' of his old team-mates

The former Liverpool attacking midfielder was speaking ahead of his old side's meeting with Chelsea on Tuesday night

Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren have partnered each other in the majority of games during Liverpool's recent poor run of form (Getty)

Luis Garcia, the former Liverpool attacking midfielder, believes that Dejan Lovren and Ragnar Klavan lack character in the centre of defence, as his old club’s once-promising season threatens to unravel.

Jürgen Klopp’s side host Premier League leaders Chelsea on Tuesday night knowing that, after a miserable set of recent results, a fourth home defeat on the trot could extinguish their faint hopes of a trophy-winning season.

Swansea City, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers have all come away from Anfield victorious in the last nine days, with the latter two clubs eliminating Liverpool from the EFL Cup and FA Cup respectively.

Klopp’s defence has come under particular scrutiny and Garcia, speaking exclusively to 888sport, claimed that personalities like those of his former team-mates Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia are required in order to “wake up” Liverpool’s sluggish backline.

“I miss that leadership. Carragher and Hyypia were very important and players, like Lovren and Klavan are, but they don’t have the character that those two had,” he said. “They are new and to become an important player in a team like Liverpool takes time, but we are missing those type of players.

“Carragher was a shouter on the pitch and always telling you what to do and where to go on the field,” Garcia added. “Off it he was a talker and it was always about football. Liverpool need that type of player right now – someone to wake them up.

“Sami Hyypia has coached different clubs and has so much experience. He has a knowledge of the club and its football. He can give so much. I’m not saying anything about the quality because I like Lovren very much but having someone like Hyypia helping would be very good for the team.”

Garcia also suggested that Liverpool’s recent poor form and the strength of those teams around them means that they have to start looking over their shoulder.

The former Spain international believes that, despite Liverpool being considered among the favourites for the title in the first half of the season, Klopp’s side must now put those ambitions to one side and concentrate on securing a Champions League place.

Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Chelsea, he said: “It is a difficult, difficult game especially how it has been these past few weeks but we cannot be worried about the title race, because that was only possible for a short period of time.

“The target at the beginning of the season was to finish inside the top four. For that we need to worry because teams around Liverpool are only getting better.”

Read the full 888sport interview with Luis Garcia, including his thoughts on why Sadio Mané has been such a big miss for Liverpool