John Barnes on what's gone wrong at Liverpool - and why there's no need to panic

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So this is modern football.Anfield legend John Barnes during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield on October 19, which his former club lost 2-1(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)"Obviously when you have a settled team and settled squad as we have had for many years, these players all coming in, as much as they are great individual players, that doesn't automatically mean it is going to happen. And bringing new players in doesn't automatically work, it takes time and I am hoping Arne is here for eight or nine years and for this team to be together for six, seven or eight years."So, as I said, I am not going to get too disappointed if we don't [win the league] but I will be disappointed if we don't qualify for the Champions League.

But if we don't win the league or finish second, I wouldn't be too disappointed."We have an abundance of riches, if you like, up front but we have the luxury of getting Isak right, whenever we need him and obviously looking to the future, it is not an issue."Maybe not for this season because he is not fit and how fit is going to be? So once again maybe people have to say that this is a transitional season for us but looking long term and the age of the players then you have to say that is not an issue for the players."On Wirtz, the jewel of German football prior to his arrival on Merseyside from Bayer Leverkusen, Barnes says: "You can see he is a very good player but he has got to get used to a new way of playing and we have got to get used to him because, of course, when he was at his previous club, it was all about him.

I use Steven Gerrard as an example."The way he stood out for Liverpool - in my opinion, him and Kenny (Dalglish) are the two greatest for Liverpool - Steven Gerrard playing with Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish, would have been the same player but wouldn't stand out as much, because he is playing with other great players."So I don't think Wirtz is having a bad season as such, it's just that everything was about him at his previous club and at Liverpool, we are playing in different ways for other players to be creative and Ekitike is also playing well, doing the same thing. He is here for the duration and he didn't have a pre-season so he is not going to be fit."We haven't necessarily missed him because Ekitike has been great and we've got Mo, Gakpo, other players.