Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes that his former club won’t be able to secure a Champions League spot.
Liverpool suffered a massive blow to their Champions League hopes on Sunday following a defeat at the hands of rivals Manchester City. The Reds were in complete control of the game until the 80th minute, but City scripted an incredible comeback to keep their title hopes alive.
Not only did Pep Guardiola’s team defeat the Reds in their backyard, but they also completed a double in the process. Following this defeat, the Merseyside club are now sixth on the Premier League table with 39 points in their 25 outings.
While they are only four points behind fifth-placed Chelsea, Jamie Carragher believes his former club won’t be able to secure a Champions League spot. The defeat to City and their overall form suggest they do not have it in them to turn around the season and finish inside the top five.
While on Sky Sports, the Liverpool legend was asked if he reckons the Reds will secure a Champions League spot, which is set to be increased from top four to five, Carragher replied: “No. Right now I don’t.
“They would have to have a huge upturn in form. And the ones above them are in great form.”
A four-point game is not that big a difference, but Liverpool have been very inconsistent since the start of the season. While they did put together an impressive run, Slot’s team have been struggling of late. They have only won one out of their last five league games.
They were in control against City, and a win here could have turned around their season. But they couldn’t manage to hold onto the lead. Given the kind of form Chelsea and Manchester United have been in recent weeks, they are unlikely to drop points too often. As a result, Carragher feels the Reds won’t be able to catch upto the teams above them.
While reflecting on the City defeat, Carragher added: “It’s a bad one. When you look at the league for Liverpool, it looks like a long way to get into the top five Champions League positions. There’s a gap now. You can make that up, but Liverpool will have to do well in the two cup competitions to save the season.”
Given how poorly Liverpool have been in the league, Slot needs to ensure they do well in two cup competitions to save the season. With cup competitions now a priority, they might not be able to rival United and Chelsea in the race for a Champions League spot.
