Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has claimed that his side’s inconsistency at present will make a top four finish tough this season, after a late Leeds United winner ended their two year undefeated streak at Anfield and left the Reds marooned in midtable.
Though they continue to do well in the Champions League, in the Premier League Liverpool are a shadow of their former selves, following up last weekend’s 1-0 shock defeat against Nottingham Forest with another defeat to a side in the relegation zone as Leeds came away from Anfield with a massive three points.
🤯 “That is sensational!” pic.twitter.com/onfkRI5jvG
— Leeds United (@LUFC) October 30, 2022
It means that Klopp’s side have now lost more games than they did across all of last season, while they sit just five points clear of the relegation zone after 12 games, and a mammoth eight points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United. It is a stark contrast from last campaign, where they reached three finals and took the Premier League title race to the final day.
And, though he is not ruling it out, the Liverpool boss has admitted that a top-four finish, and a place in the lucrative Champions League, is looking increasingly unlikely on current form.
“You can’t qualify for the Champions League if you play as inconsistently as we do at the moment,” Klopp said.
“We have to fix that.”
“I am sorry it is like this, but that is the situation. I am not sure how deep you can dig, but we will. It is like it is and we will work on solutions.
“We have to have a look at this game first, try to understand it a bit more and go from there.”
With a World Cup in the middle of the season and the likes of Andy Robertson and Mo Salah handed a much-needed rest, there is still a good chance that the Reds can turn their season around. But they will have to do so in impressive fashion to make up what is becoming a significant deficit towards the top of the Premier League.
