'For Liverpool's standards, it has been nowhere near good enough'
The amount of times he changed games last season and won it for Liverpool in the last minute, he's a massive loss. Milos Kerkez at left-back and Ibrahima Konate - in my opinion, both of those players have been average to say the least.
[PA Media] Former Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast on the reasons for Liverpool's struggles this season: "I think the recruitment is very much responsible - that's not just Arne Slot, that's the club and the people behind the scenes as much as Arne. "They lost Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and don't forget [the death of] Diogo Jota would clearly have had a massive impact on that team. "It's something people underestimate - how important the team is behind the scenes.
Not just off the pitch, he was a top player on the pitch. The amount of times he changed games last season and won it for Liverpool in the last minute, he's a massive loss. "You mentioned Virgil van Dijk [and a possible drop-off in his performances] but I don't think it's necessarily just him.
I think it's the people next to him as well. Milos Kerkez at left-back and Ibrahima Konate - in my opinion, both of those players have been average to say the least. "If you put Marc Guehi next to Virgil van Dijk this season, I don't think we would be having these conversations.
"It's small margins, but for Liverpool's standards, it has been nowhere near good enough. "They are still in the Champions League and if they win that, it would have been a successful season. "They've missed Alisson heavily for a few games and Mohamed Salah hasn't hit the heights, so there are a few reasons there.