Liverpool exposed as bad champions after Man City reality check

Liverpool have been branded “bad champions” after a 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Manchester City.

City tightened their grip on the Premier League title race with an emphatic victory on Liverpool’s own ground.

Victory at Anfield was one of the few remaining feats left for City to achieve since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover 13 years ago and Pep Guardiola’s men earned a first win away to Liverpool since 2003 in style.

At the most gruelling juncture of a season with more fixture pile-ups than ever, City have clicked into gear just as Liverpool have run out of gas.

The champions have now remarkably failed to win in five consecutive home league games. In the previous two seasons, they won 35 and drew three of their 38 matches at Anfield.

An injury crisis at centre-back has depleted the champions from back to front, but Jurgen Klopp also has to bear some responsibility for failing to summon the same response from his squad players.

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4-1.Source:Getty Images

Xherdan Shaqiri, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are among those to have had little impact, while Takumi Minamino scored on his Southampton debut at Newcastle on Saturday days after being loaned out.

Roy Keane said after the game he has given up on Liverpool, saying they are frauds this season.

“For me, they are bad champions,” Keane told Sky Sports.

“You could say that this is a one-off, it’s a freak season, it’s Corona. Just get on with it. You’re the champions, you’re Liverpool Football Club.

“Keeping performing like that and it will be another 30 years before you win the title.”

After hearing Klopp defend his side and keeper Alisson’s howler in goals, Keane had had enough.

“I think Jurgen Klopp said maybe the goalkeeper’s feet were cold? That’s a new one. I know it was tongue-in-cheek a little bit but it’s excuses after excuses. It just goes on and on,” he said.

“I can’t figure this group out. Even in the game against Brighton in midweek, Brighton were comfortable. You can be beaten, but there’s a way to be beaten. But l don’t see that.

“I think they’ve believed the hype of the last year or two. We spoke about there would be some sort of drop-off, but they are playing for a big club. It’s as if they won the league last year and they all believed the hype and got carried away. My mindset when you won a league title was ‘can we do it again’.”

— with AFP

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