Liverpool are going through a transitional phase but can still finish in the Premier League top four this season, insists John Barnes.
The Reds travel to Tottenham today having failed to win a single match away from home so far this season. Spurs enjoy a 10-point lead over Jurgen Klopp's side, who will arrive in North London on the back of consecutive Premier League defeats against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.
But despite Liverpool's turbulent league form, former Anfield hero Barnes believes his old club can still turn things around to qualify for next season's Champions League and points to high-flying Arsenal as an example of a club that has come out of the other side of a transformative period successfully.
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Speaking to BonusCodeBets, he said: “Winning the Premier League is going to be very difficult for Liverpool as they're not up there with Man City. Arsenal and Man City are up there. I still think Liverpool have a good chance at finishing in the top four because apart from Arsenal and Man City, there isn't really anyone playing consistently. It was always going to be a difficult season for Liverpool as it was a bit of a transition for the team.
"If you look at the profile of the players coming in, there are a lot of young players. When you look at the four-year consistency, we've had players that are 28-30 years of age, they've got the consistency as they've played together for a long time. Now they've got Harvey Elliott, Darwin Nunez, Luis Díaz, they've got great potential and every now and again you can see their quality but with that youth comes a mix of inexperience as well as consistency.
“Liverpool are going through a transitional period in terms of the way they play and the players they have but I feel confident in saying they'll be in the top four and as the years go on, next year and the year after. Very much like Arsenal, look what they're doing at the minute with their young players, they missed out on top four last year. I have faith in Liverpool.”
The Reds' disappointment in the league has been cushioned somewhat by comfortable progress in the Champions League to the knockout stages. Liverpool will learn their round of 16 opponents on Monday when UEFA conduct the knockout stage draw. Jurgen Klopp's side can only be drawn against one of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Benfica or Porto.
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