Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool are still capable of challenging for the 2022/23 Premier League title despite their slow start.
The Reds have begun the new season inconsistently, winning just twice from their opening six fixtures, leaving them nine points behind league leaders Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand.
Injuries to several key players, particularly in midfield, have contributed to this poor form, but performances have generally not been where they should be.
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With some of these integral parts of the squad starting to return now, you’d expect results to pick up in October, but it will still be an uphill battle to catch last season’s champions Manchester City, who look formidable with new signing Erling Haaland.
Despite this seemingly difficult challenge, ex-Liverpool defender Carragher remains optimistic about his former club’s prospects.
Speaking to Sportsmail, he said: “They can still challenge for the Premier League, no doubt. But in terms of turning a corner it needs more than one game. There have been five or six games where Liverpool have been nowhere near their best.
“(Against Ajax) there was a typical Jurgen Klopp Liverpool performance, but I think they will need more than one game.
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“You need to see the next four or five games to see if Liverpool are back on track. But it was nice to see Liverpool back to their best.
“You have got a team who have been at the top of their game for five or six years and maybe they have come off that slightly in terms of intensity and that is what the team is built on. Intensity is the identity of that team.”
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Given Manchester City have accumulated 93 points or more in three of their last five seasons, there is little room for error for teams looking to win the league now.
Liverpool have already dropped nine points and sit eight behind City with a game in hand.
It’s not impossible for the Merseyside club to turn things around, but it already looks like a very difficult task.
Topics: Jamie Carragher, Liverpool, Premier League
Alfie Culshaw