Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy says the sale of Sadio Mane cannot be blamed for their poor season start.
The Reds have won just two of their six games in all competitions since the start of the new season, with Jurgen Klopp admitting his frustration after Wednesday's crushing 4-1 defeat to Napoli in the Champions League.
"I've felt there has been a complacency set in from some of the players," Murphy told talkSPORT.
“Houllier used to call it 'the comfort zone', where players get comfortable with knowing they're going to play. Three of that back-four has been picking itself for years, and Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are both struggling.
“Virgil looks like maybe he's playing with something or protecting himself a little bit because he's not what he was. He's still a terrific player but he's not at the level we were talking about two seasons ago.
“So how do you provoke a reaction? How do you get players back to their level? Normally a kick up the backside and leaving you out of the team can work, but I think it's going to be a tough few weeks for them, it's not going to change overnight.
“This narrative about Mane being such a huge miss, I think that's an easy thing to say.
“Of course he's a miss because he's a super player, but Diaz has been Liverpool's best player – he's scored four goals already and hit the woodwork four times, he's hardly been poor.
“I think the Mane thing is just an excuse, and maybe players can hide behind that. I don't agree with the Mane point. You miss quality, but him leaving is not the reason the players at the back aren't tracking runners or switching off – that's complacency and a lack of concentration."