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David James spoke to LiverpoolWorld about the Reds’ current run of form in the Premier League
Liverpool may not be hitting the form many expected of them this season so far but David James still has a lot of belief in his former side.
After spending a record amount of cash on new transfers over the summer, pundits had backed the Reds to defend their Premier League title with ease. By late September, the reigning champions were unbeaten and flying at the top of the table. However, a dramatic and unexpected nosedive in form now sees Liverpool sitting eighth in the standings.
Arsenal drew against this season’s surprise packages Sunderland last time out, but they still hold a four-point lead over Manchester City. The gap between the Reds and the Gunners has now stretched to eight points, but former goalkeeper James believes his old side still have the capability of challenging Arsenal.
David James addresses Liverpool form struggle
Liverpool forked out mega money over the summer but some signings are still struggling to bed in and make an impact.
James was asked about his take on the likes of Milos Kerkez, who has been dropped for Andy Robertson following a series of unconvincing performances compared to what fans saw during his time at Bournemouth.
“There's an adjustment period which is playing for Liverpool as opposed to just playing for another club in another part of England,” James told LiverpoolWorld, via 32Red.
“If you've got the wrong balance of players in a changing room, doesn't matter how talented you are, it will be destructive, and that's what happened at West Ham.
“Depending on the club you're at, at some clubs they are just like they're going down, who cares, except for the loyal supporters. Whereas at bigger clubs, it becomes a big problem.
“So again, I think with the signings Liverpool have made, they've got a good changing room. But because of the number of signings, it might just take that little bit longer for them to fully understand that and buy into it and to appreciate it.”
David James backs Liverpool to still push Arsenal this season
Liverpool have lost seven of their last ten games in all competitions. A dismal run of four straight defeats ended with a convincing 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League. However, results plummeted straight after, with another two consecutive defeats in the Premier League and Carabao Cup.
Liverpool were spanked 3-0 by Manchester City in their latest outing but the results sandwiched between those losses has left James with hope. The Reds clawed back their form with a 2-1 win over Aston Villa, followed by a narrow but statement victory against Real Madrid.
“I think we're seeing that now, especially the midweek performance against Real Madrid, that looked like a very happy, balanced team. And it can just take one game to get to a place where it makes sense. I think the best way to get the performance is by having a decent foundation and I think Liverpool have got that,” James continued.
“Any players who aren't performing at the levels that people expect them to do straight away, I think once they feel comfortable in that environment and understand what they're actually playing for, then we'll start seeing the performances that we expect.
“I don't have any doubt that Liverpool will be up there and putting Arsenal under the kind of pressure that will test them.”
James has backed Liverpool to dust themselves off and find a way to part the sea ahead of them to put pressure on Arsenal. Despite now being eight points behind the Gunners, the shot-stopper is confident the Reds can turn this shaky run around and capitalise on any Arsenal slip-ups.
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