Jamie Carragher has admitted that his Liverpool team that won the Champions League in 2005 were 'boring' when compared to Jurgen Klopp's exciting Reds side now.
Liverpool put on a masterclass performance at the San Siro on Wednesday as they beat Inter Milan 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 encounter, with Klopp's men earning plaudits for their trademark high-pressing and energetic style of play.
Carragher was one of many to heap praise on his former side for the 'spectacle' they put on in Milan which saw him reflect on just how football has evolved since his playing days.
And while Rafa Benitez's Reds side will forever be remembered for their famous Champions League triumph in Istanbul, Carragher insists that side solely focused on getting the job done while the performances were far from thrilling at times.
Speaking about the evolution of football with Theirry Henry and Alex Scott, Carragher told CBS Sports Golazo: 'When I played, we won the Champions League but we didn't play the way the teams play now. We're talking 20 years ago and the game shifts and it moves and in 20 years time we'll see another shift and young new coaches will come with new ideas.
'But it's a breath of fresh air. It's a lot more exciting than the football I played. I remember some of the games I played in Europe, we'd just try and get a 0-0 and be boring and we wouldn't care what the spectacle was like.
'It was just "get the job done". I don't think football is like that now. Yes, you've still got to get results but there's got to be a spectacle as well. It's got to be exciting.
'We were talking last night about Real Madrid – do Real Madrid really play like that away at PSG? And I just think this is the way the game is now and you have to perform like that.'
Carragher also went on to claim that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can no longer be carried by their respective teams if they want to win the big trophies like the Champions League.
With Ronaldo and Messi both in the twilight years of their careers, time is running out to add more of the game's biggest titles to their unrivalled trophy cabinets.
But Carragher insists that teams efforts from sides like Liverpool and Manchester City will always triumph over teams that rely on individual greatness to win them games.
'It has to be high energy,' Carragher continued. 'And that's why at times this season I've been critical, well not so much critical, but I've looked at the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo for United or Lionel Messi for PSG – two of the best players I've probably ever seen – but to win the big trophies I don't think you can sort of carry players and say they're not going to work out or press off the ball, it just smacks you in the face when you see the Champions League football now. It's the best football you can see anywhere.'