Jamie Carragher thinks Manchester City could struggle to make it into the top four after losing four matches in a row in the Premier League.
City's struggles continued at Anfield on Sunday as Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah scored in a 2-0 win for Liverpool which opened up an 11-point lead over Pep Guardiola's side.
Having started November at the top of the table, City now sits fifth and many fans and pundits have already written off its title chances.
Many have put City's problems down to the absence of Rodri, the Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder who is set to miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, and Carragher thinks making impactful signings in January is the only way City can revive its league season.
“This season, Manchester City will not be winning the Premier League,” Carragher said on Sky Sports. “I don’t think there is any way back. It is almost a mini-crisis for Manchester City, and I think it’s reminiscent of Liverpool two years ago (when the Reds finished fifth on 67 points after racking up 92 points in the previous season). I actually think Man City might have a fight on the hands for the top four.
“I actually look at Arsenal and Chelsea and the way they’re looking right now… I think it may be difficult for Man City to finish above them if they don’t go into the market in January. He [Guardiola] needs to buy players. If he can do that in January who knows, but he may need to wait until the end of the season to fix it.
“I look at the energy Arsenal have got and the energy the young players at Chelsea have got and I think it might be difficult for City to finish above them.”