Dietmar Hamann believes that Jurgen Klopp's managerial reign could be under pressure if Liverpool fall too far away from the leading pack.
The Reds came agonisingly close to sweeping the board with four major honours last season, but eventually had to settle for two. This season has been a completely different story however, with just two wins in their first 10 Premier League matches.
A second league defeat of the season arrived on Sunday, when Liverpool were gunned down 3-2 by table-toppers Arsenal and former Anfield midfielder Hamann, who won the Champions League under Rafa Benitez in 2005, has concerns that Klopp's squad could be past its peak.
READ MORE: What Luis Diaz did while walking through Liverpool mixed zone on crutches
READ MORE: Why Liverpool were denied penalty by VAR but Arsenal's was given
Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast, Hamann said: “I think that as a big team you’re always in transition but they’ve been at the top of their capacities for the last three or four years. What they achieved and what they did last year was second to none. I don’t think that will be achieved again, to be within seven days of winning all four trophies and I think that psychologically it was always going to be tough this season.
“If you look yesterday, Arsenal, in the second half, were everything that Liverpool were four or five years ago. They were breath-taking going forward. Every time that they did go forward you felt that something was going to happen. This Liverpool team looks tired, they look pedestrian and they just look flat. I’m not sure where the spark is going to come from because they’ve won games in the past, obviously they beat Rangers a couple of days ago but they’re obviously far superior to Rangers.
“I trust that they’ll know where the spark is going to come from but whether it’s the end of an era? I wouldn’t write them off, but my imagination doesn’t let me see where the spark is going to come from in the next few weeks.”
During his seven-year spell as Liverpool manager, Klopp has won almost every major trophy on offer to him, including the Champions League and brought Anfield's 30-year wait for a league title to an end in 2020. But Hamann says there are signs of cracks in the squad that suggest that all not might be well internally.
He said: “The dynamics at Liverpool are no different to anywhere else and if the results aren’t there then the manager will come under pressure. If they were to get beat next week or not win against Manchester City, which at the moment seems very likely, you could be eight or nine points off fourth place.
“We know that the owners are not the biggest spenders and so we know how vitally important it is for the team to be in the Champions League because of the revenue that you get. At some stage I think we will have that discussion about the manager and I’m not sure how far we are off [from that].
“He said that he still feels that he’s the right man to do it, but I see little things like Jordan Henderson midweek seeing his number going up and reluctantly taking his armband off and coming off shaking his head. This is something that we haven’t seen at Liverpool for five years. Maybe these are little signs that people have little problems with the team or even the manager.”
READ MORE:
- ‘You cannot play like that’ - Andy Gray identifies key reason behind Liverpool problems
- Luis Diaz forced off with first-half injury against Arsenal
- Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher slam Liverpool defending as Trent Alexander-Arnold point made
- Trent Alexander-Arnold substituted after Liverpool injury blow against Arsenal
- Liverpool fans make Martin Tyler and Gary Neville point during Arsenal defeat
