‘I’d be fearful’ – Rio Ferdinand sends worrying Liverpool top-four message and makes blunt midfield point

‘I’d be scared’ – Rio Ferdinand sends ominous message to Liverpool top 4 and makes brutal point in midfield

Rio Ferdinand and Peter Crouch spoke to BT Sport after Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat at Manchester City

Rio Ferdinand has expressed his ‘fear’ for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side after their 4-1 defeat at Manchester City.

Despite Mohamed Salah’s opener, the Citizens proved too strong as Julian Alvarez equalized before Kevin de Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish contributed to another miserable away game for the Reds.

The loss leaves Liverpool seven points out of the top four with their last 11 games of the season. And although they have a game in hand against fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, they are now eighth after being leapfrogged in the standings by Brighton and Brentford following their thrilling 3-3 draw at Amex.

Saturday’s early kick-off marked the start of a vitally important week for the Reds, who now travel to Chelsea on Tuesday before hosting leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday.

And after losing the first of those three games, former Manchester United star Ferdinand said there was an “element of concern” for Klopp’s side heading into the final stages of the Premier League season. “They seem to have lost that mojo at Liverpool, it’s hard to say exactly why,” he told BT Sport.

“They looked at the midfield before the game and every Man City midfielder comes into the squad – it’s a worrying thing for Liverpool and they will address it this summer.

“As a Liverpool fan I would be afraid to finish in the top four, there are teams around them who have games going, are more consistent and seem to have an advantage. These are worrying times for Klopp and his team.”

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Former Reds striker Peter Crouch, who was also in the BT Sport studio, agreed with Ferdinand. He said: “I worry about her, I worry about her. Today, in the second half, they really capitulated. Man City, as good as they are, I felt like Liverpool didn’t put a glove on them – 60 minutes, half an hour left, game over.

“There were defensive weaknesses and not enough forward movement, so going into those big games worries you now. You look at the top four spots and they’re gone. Newcastle have a few games in hand with Tottenham in fourth place. Brighton breathes on their necks… Now it’s a real task for the top four.”