Former Newcastle United striker Michael Owen has blamed inconsistency as the key reason behind Liverpool’s underwhelming campaign. Just one week after demolishing bitter rivals Manchester United 7-0, the Reds stuttered on the road at Bournemouth.
Many expected Liverpool to surge towards the top four and secure a Champions League place. However, losing 1-0 on the south coast put a dent in their ambitions ahead of a tricky fixture list.
Jurgen Klopp’s men travel to Manchester City and Chelsea before facing Arsenal at Anfield - handing an opportunity for Newcastle to capitalise on. Tottenham Hotspur's comfortable win over Nottingham Forest extended the gap over Liverpool to six points, while the Magpies' win over Wolves moved them ahead of the Reds with a game in hand.
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Speaking to Premier League Productions, ex-Newcastle and Liverpool striker Owen cited the Reds' inability to replicate high-level performances week in, week out as the reason why they have slumped down the table this season. He said: “Well, it's a million-dollar question (why Liverpool have underperformed this season). I bet Jurgen Klopp is thinking that to himself.
“There is no one reason why Liverpool have been poor this season. There's plenty of them - and you can find plenty of them. But the inconsistency is the one (to single out). If Liverpool had been rubbish all season, then you could think to yourself, ‘ok, there's a lot that needs to be changed here’.
“But they beat Manchester United by seven, they beat Bournemouth (by) nine at the start of the season (and) beat Manchester City 1-0 in a brilliant game. They’ve shown signs throughout the season that they are right at that top level. But they only do it sporadically… that's the problem. They can't do it consistently at the moment.
“Excuses are running out in terms of injuries because it got virtually the full quota of players back. That is why football is just the strangest game sometimes. When you watch the game, you can't say they (Bournemouth) didn't deserve the points.”
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