10 March,2021 11:41 AM IST | Mumbai | Ronald Chettiar
Liverpool players Mohamed Salah (left) and Fabinho after conceding a goal against Fulham during their English Premier League on Sunday. pic/AFP
Former Liverpool and Manchester City star goalkeeper David James finds Liverpool's current slump in the English Premier League compelling and feels the Reds are playing the sort of football that is not of Champions League quality, a tournament which they might have to win to be in the European elite competition next season.
The EPL defending champions, who had been unbeaten in 68 league games at home until January, suffered a club-record sixth consecutive home loss against Fulham on Sunday leaving them in the eighth spot (43 points from 28 matches) on the EPL table, seven points away from a place in the Champions League.
Jurgen Klopp's men face German side, RB Leipzig tonight in the Last 16 second-leg of the Champions League with a 2-0 lead from the first leg. And the former England custodian insists the six-time European champions will have to turn their fortunes quickly if they have to go far in the competition.
Former England goalkeeper David James
Liverpool's home match will be played at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions. "Liverpool's situation probably is the most compelling because we are looking at a side who are EPL champions. They won the Champions League [2018-19] a few years ago. Club World Cup winners [2019]. But they are currently playing the sort of football that is not Champions League quality. The problems that they face in the EPL might become a bigger issue for them in the Champions League," James, 50, told mid-day.com during a virtual interaction recently.
Injuries to key players like captain Jordan Henderson and star centre-back Virgil van Dijk, have played a major role in their decline. And inconsistent show from stars forwards like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane has added to Klopp's misery.
James, who was the player-manager of Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League, felt Klopp needs to rework his strategy to reclaim the swagger that made them one of the most lethal teams last season.
"Liverpool winning now is unusual whereas they not winning was unusual 12 months ago. And there will be pressure to win the Champions League as their EPL form will not qualify them. But they need to be strong enough to deal with it. Klopp will have to rework his strategy where he gets his team competitive again. He needs to make sure they don't have to depend on the Champions League to qualify next season or we could be witnessing a dramatic turn of events unfolding in the coming days," explained James, who made 53 appearances for the national side.
Champions League matches are televised on Sony Ten.
