A leading pundit has claimed that Liverpool are set for a “hollow victory” when they seal the Premier League crown.
Arne Slot’s men are just six points away from glory, with six games still to play.
However, their exits from the FA Cup and Champions League, the League Cup final defeat to Newcastle, and some less-than-dazzling performances in recent Premier League games, have put a dent in some of the enthusiasm around the Anfield club.
That’s the verdict of controversial pundit and Liverpool fan Eamon Dunphy, writing in his column for Monday’s Irish Daily Star.
Dunphy has been less than impressed by the quality of their rivals in the Premier League, and by some of the Reds’ displays in the second-half of the season.
And he has identified where Arne Slot’s side needs improving in the summer transfer window if they are to make a serious impact in next year’s Champions League.
The defeat to Paris St Germain, despite the game going to penalties, exposed some of Liverpool’s vulnerabilities, according to Dunphy.
Here’s a sneak peak at some of the extracts from his column, which appears in Monday’s Irish Daily Star.
“Winning the Premier League this season is going to feel like a bit of a hollow victory for Liverpool,” he writes.
“That might seem like a crazy thing to say, given they’ll probably do it by a 10-point margin, but in my opinion, and I’m a Liverpool supporter, they have made very hard work of it.
“Liverpool have not played well for weeks and they will prevail in a bad league.
“Given their recent form in the league, and their exits from the FA Cup and Champions League, it feels like a bit of an anticlimax.”
He adds: “A lot of big teams just haven’t shown up this season. Manchester City have really struggled this year - and are even struggling to make the Champions League spots.
“That leaves Nottingham Forest and Newcastle. And while Forest have done a brilliant job under an excellent coach, they don’t have the players to be picking a serious fight with Liverpool.”
Looking ahead to the summer, Dunphy says: “There will have to be changes this summer if they are to build on this season’s likely Premier League win.
“Slot has to go into the transfer market and bring in a really top-class midfielder. Alexis Mac Allister is a really good player, but they need someone with a big presence alongside him.
“They need a midfielder in the Jordan Henderson mould, or James Milner or Georginio Wijnaldum, who they got rid of because of his age but he was a really top player.
“These were dominating characters, players with big personalities. And personality is huge when you are playing at the level that Liverpool are at.
“They are the types of players who want to impose themselves on games, and who put fear into the opposition.”
As for their Champions League exit, he says: “They went to Paris and should have lost 5-0, but somehow came home with a 1-0 win.
“They were given every possible warning ahead of the second-leg, but were still dominated by the French side at Anfield, and ultimately went out on penalties.
“I think PSG have a great chance of winning the Champions League outright. They are the best team I have seen in Europe this year. And they brutally exposed Liverpool like no other team this season.
“Slot is going to have to go out and find players; a really dominant midfielder and another dominant defender.
“If he manages to do that in the summer, they will be fine. It’s not like an overhaul is needed, just a tweak here and there. Especially if they want to go further in the Champions League next year.”
You can read Eamon’s full thoughts in Monday’s Irish Daily Star.
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