Former Liverpool man Steve Nicol believes that Jurgen Klopp is struggling with a lack of quality in his current squad.
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Speaking to ESPN FC, the 54-year-old argued that there isn’t enough depth in the current group, particularly in defence, which is holding the former Dortmund boss back in his bid to get the club further up the Premier League table.
Sunday’s loss to Watford ensured that the Reds remain in ninth place in the standings, although they still sit just five points adrift of a place in the top four.
Nevertheless, Nicol doesn’t believe that they will qualify for the Champions League next season as they will continue to suffer with inconsistency as Klopp tries to implement his ideas and style with the current squad, which was essentially built by previous manager Brendan Rodgers.
As a result, he believes that it may take significant investment in the January transfer window, and particularly next summer, in order to see the German tactician get his thoughts across effectively, and for that to then result in the club challenging for honours both at home and abroad.
Since taking charge at Anfield, Klopp has now won three, drawn three and lost three games, which has resulted in 12 points being accumulated, the same number of points that Rodgers had when the decision was made to sack him.
Given Klopp’s tactics and change in approach, it was always felt that it would take time before Liverpool would fulfil their talent, but it doesn’t look as though the current squad is capable of sustaining a push for a top-four finish based on current results.
The Reds welcome league leaders Leicester City to Anfield on Boxing Day, and a win over the Foxes would certainly be a huge boost for confidence and belief heading into the second half of the campaign.