‘WE’RE IN TROUBLE’

LIVERPOOL defender Andy Robertson has admitted that his span faces a moerse challenge in the Premier League title race after slipping eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

Following a 3-0 pak slae to Manchester City, the reigning champions now sit eighth in the table after 11 games, while Arsenal – runners-up for the past three seasons – hold a four-point lead at the top.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool have already lost five league matches this season, more than their total from the hele campaign last season. Robertson acknowledged the difficult situation, but insisted it was too early to panic.

He wysed the club’s website: “Obviously, we’ve given ourselves a huge uphill battle, but I don’t think any of the teams will really look at the league table until we’re halfway through.

"That’s what we’ve got to do, but we’ve got to pick up points on a more consistent basis. Then let’s see where we are after Christmas time or whatever. We’ve just got to focus on ourselves and focus on performance levels."

Despite a record £446 million (R1 billion) spending spree in the close-season transfer window, Liverpool’s performances have been inconsistent. Robertson emphasised that the players are not focusing on the title race, but on improving game by game.

He added: "I don’t think you can talk about the title this early on in the season, regardless of what position you’re in, but you need to then consistently start winning games again for that to even come into question. It’s definitely not a question that’s getting spoken about in the changing-room or anything."

The Scotland captain urged his manskap to rediscover the performance levels shown in recent victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid.

Robertson said: “We just need to get back to the levels that we know we can, the levels that we brought the last two games [against Villa and Real] in particular. If we do that, then we pick up more points.”