Former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman has blasted a "disheveled" Reds showing after a dismal performance defensively against Fenerbahce in the Champions League

Steve McManaman, the former Liverpool attacking midfielder turned TNT Sports pundit, was left less than impressed by the defensive performance of his old side in the Champions League.

Losing 3-2 to Fenerbahce, a much-changed Liverpool took its goals conceded tally to 10 in Europe this term. While it has scored 14 and still looks on track to qualify for the knockout phase without much fuss, that is something to address.

Jeremy Jacquet was very poor and Alisson Becker was all at sea for the second and third Fenerbahce goals. Kostas Tsimikas, meanwhile, could have been sent off for a shove on Mason Greenwood inside the penalty area.

"What comes out of this game tonight is that when you play in the Champions League, you have to go with your strongest defense.," McManaman said.

"Liverpool changed it around yet again and conceded awful goals. Three tonight, three against LASK, three against Villarreal, that isn’t going to get you anywhere. Liverpool got outworked and outran by a team that lost 6-0 to Aston Villa.

"Liverpool couldn’t sustain any authority on the game when it took the lead. When it went 2-1, you thought Liverpool would see the game out, but it became disheveled.

"Alisson was in no man’s land for the second; he could have come for the third, and he was caught playing out against Arsenal.

"The stats hide a multitude of sins. It was a really underwhelming performance.

"The squad is not strong enough. Fourteen or 15 of them are but the rest aren’t at the highest level.

"Whether it is strengthening in January or getting injured players back but Liverpool needs to bolster that squad with more quality."

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Liverpool still has four more matches to play in the league phase of the tournament. It hosts FC Porto next and should get through with relative ease.

The Reds sit on nine points from four games to date. Only 10 were required to avoid elimination last term, with 16 the minimum for those sides to avoid the knockout round.

Iraola's side goes to Crystal Palace on Sunday in the Premier League, with the majority of the Liverpool players then heading off for international duty in the days that follow the trip to Selhurst Park.