Former Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann says Roy Keane's criticism of his old side's form this season is "completely exaggerated" as he leapt to the defence of Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds' title defence is all but over already as they slipped 13 points behind league leaders Manchester City, with wins for West Ham and Chelsea on Monday night dropping them down to sixth place in the table.
Former Manchester United captain Keane - perhaps sensing his chance to stick the boot in on his old rivals - branded the Reds "bad champions" after their recent 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, but Hamann says the reasons for their loss of form are clear.
“Keane’s criticism is completely exaggerated. The problems can be explained," the German, who played for Liverpool between 1999 and 2006, told Sportbuzzer.
"Not only is [Virgil] van Dijk missing, but Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are also. If the entire central defence isn’t there, even Liverpool can’t do anything.
"Thiago should pull the strings, but he still seems like a foreign body to me.
“Then there is the short break, the hassle of games. Freshness, dominance and impact are missing.
"In their heyday, they stole the air from opponents to breathe. Right now, they have to work very hard for every win, but I’m not really concerned about Liverpool.
"Klopp has achieved great things. The foundation for lasting success is in place”.
The absences of the three senior central defenders were compounded by the loss of Fabinho, their de facto cover option, for the loss at Leicester at the weekend.
Skipper Jordan Henderson continued in defence at the King Power, and he is again set to be joined by January arrival Ozan Kabak for Tuesday's Champions League clash with RB Leipzig.
