Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has made the surprising claim that the Premier League title remains 'within reach' for his old club despite their dramatic slump in form.
Liverpool's alarming decline
Under manager Arne Slot, the Reds have plummeted to 12th position in the Premier League table after suffering six defeats in their last seven league matches. Their most recent humiliation came in a 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield, leaving the reigning champions 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
The situation appears dire for a team that spent £450 million on new signings during the summer transfer window, with their title defence collapsing amid a string of poor performances.
Owen's optimistic assessment
Despite the grim statistics, the 45-year-old former England international believes Liverpool have shown enough quality in patches to suggest an extraordinary comeback isn't completely impossible.
'They probably won't do it, but I still think it's within reach,' Owen stated on the Mennie Talks podcast. 'They played poorly against Manchester City, but this season they've delivered performances that take your breath away.'
Owen pointed to specific matches where Liverpool demonstrated their potential, saying: 'That performance against Real Madrid, I know it was only 1-0, but it could have been 4-0. They were absolutely brilliant. They were brilliant for half the game against Villa and they beat Arsenal at Anfield. They're not consistently playing badly.'
Analysing the inconsistencies
The former striker acknowledged Liverpool's problems with consistency but maintained they haven't been comprehensively outplayed in most matches.
'If you look at the teams they've faced, they beat Manchester United, but Liverpool were the better team. The defeat against Chelsea came in the dying moments of the game, it could have gone either way. It was a great game, they played well. They beat Manchester City at the Etihad.'
'It's not like they're being beaten by fools all the time,' Owen added, suggesting the margins have been fine in several matches.
However, he didn't shy away from criticising their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Galatasaray, which he described as a 'particularly poor performance'.
'I'm not going to disguise it, they're not consistent. They're not at their best, but it's not that they're playing badly,' Owen continued. 'You can still see they're a great team at times, in certain matches. It's just the regularity.'
Owen's final verdict was cautiously optimistic: 'They're not out of it yet. They're playing well enough at times, in certain matches, to suggest they could put together a great run. They just need that regularity. They need to wake up.'
Where the title is really heading
Despite his more positive outlook on Liverpool's capabilities, Owen admitted he believes the Premier League trophy is most likely heading to Arsenal come May.
'I think they're quite a consistent team,' Owen said of the Gunners. 'The truth is I'm quite baffled by how people talk about them.'
'People talk about them as if all Premier League teams finish last one year and win it the next. Leicester did it. Manchester City have won many titles. How many times did they finish second or third before winning it? Liverpool have won two titles in the last six years. How many times were they second before that?'
'Now it's Arsenal's turn. They've been second three times. Nobody goes and wins it straight away.'
Owen highlighted Arsenal's recent pedigree, noting: 'Last year, Arsenal were the best British team in the Champions League. They reached the semi-finals. They finished second in the league. They were brilliant all season. They've accumulated more points in the last three years than any other Premier League team.'
