Former England striker Alan Shearer has delivered a damning verdict on Liverpool’s Premier League title hopes, asserting that their race is "done" and warning they risk being "dumped out of whatever competitions they’re in" unless performances drastically improve.
The stark assessment follows Arne Slot’s side’s fifth league defeat of the season, a recent loss to Manchester City, which leaves the reigning champions in eighth place, eight points behind current leaders Arsenal.
Speaking to Betfair, Shearer was unequivocal about the Reds’ prospects.
"I think they would have to probably win every single game between now and the end of the season. I don’t think that’s possible. So, I think their title race is done," he stated.
Despite a record-breaking summer transfer window that saw Liverpool spend £415 million, including twice breaking the British transfer record for Florian Wirtz (up to £116m) and Alexander Isak (£130m), Shearer believes Slot is grappling with significant issues.
He highlighted attempts to "shoehorn Florian Wirtz into a left-hand sided position" and pointed to widespread defensive frailties, concluding, "Defensively, they’re all over the place, so they’ve got problems."
The pundit also raised concerns over the form of star forward Mohamed Salah.
"Mo Salah’s nowhere near what he was last season or what he’s been like," Shearer observed, speculating on the reasons. "I don’t know whether (Salah) feels because of the money that has been spent on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak that he’s not the number one player anymore."
He added, "There’s definitely something that’s not right, whether that’s the old age thing getting to him and not being as good as he was, or whether he’s got a bee in his bonnet about something.
“But we’re definitely not seeing the same Mo Salah as what we’ve seen. You could say that about most Liverpool players actually."
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