Liverpool came back crashing down to earn on the south coast when relegation battlers Bournemouth beat them 1-0 at Dean Court.
The Reds came into the game on the back of defeating an in-form Manchester United side 7-0 at Anfield, but they got a rude shock as the Cherries defended deep and hit them on the break to win all three points.
McAteer stressed that Elliott and Bajcetic failed to create from the middle of the park for Liverpool against Bournemouth.
He feels that they look good when they get space and freedom to work with in midfield, but against a Bournemouth side their lack of experience was exposed.
The former Red admitted that they can look good against the big teams where they get more space to work with but need to do something extra against a defensive side such as Bournemouth.
McAteer said on beIN SPORTS: “They are alright when there is space on the pitch.
“When teams are sitting deep and it’s tight, you have got to figure out a different way of scoring.
“That’s where you can look at them and go, your experience here is not helping you because you don’t have enough in this scenario.
“They are great when there is space.
“We can all be good players when there is space on the pitch and certain teams will offer that tactic.
“Manchester United and Manchester City will offer that tactic and so they can look good as players.”
It remains to be seen whether either of the two play against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week.
