Liverpool could still be mentally 'broken' by missing out on both the Premier League title and Champions League at the final hurdle last season.
That's according to Ally McCoist and Danny Murphy, who have been separately discussing the Reds' miserable start to the new season, which currently sees Jurgen Klopp's side languishing in 10th place in the Premier League table.
The Merseyside club almost completed an unprecedented clean sweep of major trophies last term, winning both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup before reaching the Champions League final and taking the league title race to the final day. But Manchester City's dramatic victory against Aston Villa from two goals down denied Liverpool a record-equalling 20th league title and that hammer-blow was followed up with a 1-0 defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris, leaving players to wonder what might have been.
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Speaking on talkSPORT Drivetime, former Liverpool midfielder Murphy accepted that his old team's title hopes were already over for this season but a top-four four place was still a realistic target. He said: “The title has gone, that’s how bad their start has been, but I don’t think you go from being nearly quadruple winners to a bad squad overnight. It’s not a problem with the quality, it’s just the mindset.
“When you start badly in a season and you’re not quite at it, whether it be complacency, whether it be a hangover from missing out on the Premier League and in the Champions League final last year, whatever it is, it’s very hard to change momentum of playing badly and losing some games and losing lots of goals. The magnifying glass of being at a club like Liverpool is huge, it comes from everywhere, every one focusing on your performance, whether it be Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah or Vigil van Dijk and the pressure builds.
“They’ve set ridiculously high standards, I’ve got no doubt that they’ll bounce back and have a good run, I’ve got no doubt of that because of the quality they’ve got. Will it be good enough to get a Champions League spot? I still think yes, but they’re going to have to start soon, because at the moment they’re too easy to play against.”
Fellow radio pundit McCoist took a similar view, but singled out the final day drama of the Premier League title race as the moment that had finally fractured the resolve of Liverpool's seemingly relentless mentality monsters.
Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, he said: “I just wonder if that 81st minute winner for Ilkay Gundogan [against Aston Villa] finally broke the soul of this particular Liverpool squad."
The Reds will have the opportunity to get one back on the reigning league champions when Pep Guardiola's side visit Anfield for a crunch match on Sunday, but Klopp will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, who were both forced off injured in the 3-2 defeat against Arsenal last weekend.
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