Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson has stuck the boot in by calling the Merseyside club a “poor man’s Arsenal”.

In his column for Liverpool Echo, Lawrenson was less than complimentary about his former club, with whom he won five league titles and the European Cup.

The last of those league titles came in 1988, and the giants of English football haven’t been crowned the best team in England since.

“We are a poor man’s Arsenal at the moment, in that you know this Arsenal will always let you down eventually,” Lawrenson said.

A bit rich when talking about a club which hasn’t built a new stadium, especially when the Gunners have in fact won the league three times since it was last lifted in front of the Kop.

“You know deep down they won’t win the league because, somewhere along the line, they will disappoint and disappoint greatly. This Liverpool are the same.”

The recent 0-0 draw between the two clubs seemed to underline the flaws of both. Arsenal struggled when Liverpool restricted space. The Gunners couldn’t play out from the back in the first half and were unable to break Liverpool down in the second half.

Liverpool, meanwhile, struggled to score while they were on top before surrendering the initiative and allowing Arsenal back in the game. Both teams looked poor on the night and, though either could have won, both arguably deserved to lose.

What is true, though, is that Liverpool are much farther from success than Arsène Wenger’s men. They have less money, their recruitment policy is worse, they are worse at the back and they are worse going forward.

Liverpool are a poor man’s Arsenal? Maybe Liverpool are simply poor, Mark.