"I think Andy is a player that needs to have a game-plan that is going to work for him and I think Liverpool have struggled to find that game-plan for him with the players they have,” he said, after Newcastle's 2-0 win on Sunday.
"When we had him here we were probably a little bit more direct than we are now and he was magnificent. He will be again. It is just a question of getting that balance right.
"He could have given Liverpool the lead had it not been for a shouldered clearance by Danny Simpson. Things could have been very different and that is how football is sometimes.
"It is a very fine line. I felt for Andy today. He is a terrific lad and he is having a tough year but he will come back."