Jurgen Klopp reveals pessimistic assessment of Liverpool’s first four chances

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted it will be difficult for his side to finish in the top four of the Premier League this season if they continue to play so poorly.

The Reds suffered a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, playing passivity and a lack of aggression at the Etihad Stadium.

After a draw by Brighton and Brentford earlier in the day, Liverpool dropped to eighth and are now seven points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

Klopp was asked about Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League after the match, but he scoffed at such talk.

“Ugh. Top four? Come on. We can not. I strongly believe that if you are good, you should win football matches,” he told talkSPORT.

“If you play well I get angry and you don’t win, the decisions go against you, blah blah blah…

“But how do you win a football match like this today if you play well for 45 minutes and badly for the other 45 minutes? “You can’t win a game of football. So it has nothing to do with the top four prospects. We have to make sure we have some consistency.”

He added: “Very frustrating. What can I say. I wouldn’t say the first half was outstanding, but it was a game we’ve seen here before against City. “City have more dominance, City have more possession, but we are super aggressive and super difficult to defend.

“Maybe we keep the ball, then control the game from our side. It’s difficult for City to defend, so we have good spells with the ball.”

The run-up doesn’t get much easier for Liverpool. They travel to Chelsea on Tuesday – who, frankly, are also pretty shaken up – before facing leaders Arsenal next weekend at Anfield.

Klopp’s men will then get eight days rest before heading to Leeds to face two more relegation fighters in Nottingham Forest and West Ham. The Reds end April with a thrilling game against top four rivals Tottenham