Former Liverpool left-back John Arne Riise has attempted to explain why the Reds are going through such an awful patch of form at the moment.
Jurgen Klopp is facing a mini-crisis at Anfield after a dire recent run which has seen them lose eight of their last 12 games in all competitions, resulting in them being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United and falling out of the top four.
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This is an incredibly dramatic fall from Liverpool, who were so dominant as they won the Premier League title on 99 points last season, which came just a year after they also won the Champions League.
Riise believes the lack of a break between last season and this one has taken its toll on Liverpool’s players, with the scheduling majorly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Norwegian still feels, however, that there could be some room for optimism for LFC in the Champions League.
“Before this season, there was no break,” Riise told the Daily Mirror. “It was straight to pre-season, straight to three games a week.
“It’s like the mental tiredness is affecting the players more than they think it is. And when they keep losing like they do now it’s like they give everything and it still doesn’t work.
“That’s why the players are so down at the moment.”
On the Champions League, he said: “The Champions League is a way of getting away from all the pressure at home, because in the Champions League, in that one game, Liverpool can beat anybody.
“Liverpool with a 2-0 lead can go into that game with confidence and know that if they play with their normal style they’ll get through to the next round.
“Nobody likes to play against Liverpool because if Liverpool have a good day, they beat anybody. First they have to get through against Leipzig and then they’ll take anybody [in the quarter-finals] and look forward to that.”
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