John Aldridge blasts ‘boring' World Cup pundits as he picks his star duo

Former Ireland striker Aldridge has been a passionate commentator on Liverpool's in-house TV channel for many years, with his analysis of the club’s famous 2019 Champions League semi-final comeback against Barcelona replayed time and again.

Now Aldridge has given sundayworld.com his verdict on the pundits who have flocked to Qatar for this winter’s World Cup, with two names at the top of his list for praise.

“Roy Keane and Graeme Souness are the best by a mile,” declared Sunday World columist Aldo.

"The point of being a pundit is saying something that will create debate and offer an insight into the game and you will always watch when Keane and Souness are on.

"Their on-air row during the Argentina game the other day was great to watch and you want to see that passion.

"Roy and Graeme have always spoken their mind and they don’t mind who they upset. Too many others are cautious and that doesn't work.”

The BBC’s coverage in England has featured the likes of Dion Dublin, Rio Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and Micah Richards, with Aldridge suggesting the lack of insight has been infuriating with some pundits.

"I don’t want to name names, but some pundits offer nothing,” he added. “They just sit there, state the bleeding obvious and think that’s good enough.

"We have seen how TV has evolved in recent years and being safe is better than being controversial at times.

"That’s why I like Keane and Souness because they don’t follow the path of the pundits we have seen on the BBC during this World Cup.

"Its the same with the co-commentators. They don’t give any insight into the game and tell you what you are already looking at on the TV. That's not the point of a co-commentator.

"You find yourself turning the sound down at times because some pundits struggle to get their words out and when they do, they say nothing.”

ITV Sport in the UK had an all-female line-up for their coverage of Poland vs Saudi Arabia on Saturday, with Karen Carney and Eni Aluko joined by host Seema Jaswal.

The presence of an all-female presenting line-up caused a predictable backlash on social media, with a stream of abuse flowing on Twitter.