Liverpool have no right to be thinking about the title race and must instead focus on the battle for the Champions League places, Reds expert David Lynch has admitted.
Following the club's 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday, the Merseysiders could find themselves 11 points behind league-leaders Arsenal should they beat Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Arne Slot's side are currently 11th in the table and have lost six of their last seven Premier League games, and it appears that the title is now firmly beyond the team's grasp.
Lynch insisted that the Reds have no right to be entertaining the prospect of competing with Arsenal or Manchester City unless drastic improvements are made, telling Sports Mole: "I don't think Liverpool should be even thinking the title race. They shouldn't be considering it at all based on what we've seen.
"They've got to play well consistently, which we've not seen, to even compete with those sides. All we've seen is flashes of them playing well, and if you go over the entire season, we've seen at best three or four good 90-minute performances. They've got to do that more frequently."
"If they go into Arsenal game and it's a five-point gap, then they might be able to give themselves a chance by going there and winning, but will they? Until then, we just have to see consistent performances."
Liverpool can only finish with a maximum of 96 points, but even an exceptional run of form may not be enough to claw back the deficit to Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
David Lynch YouTube image
Liverpool fixture list: Is there any optimism for Arne Slot?
Nottingham Forest were 19th when they travelled to Anfield on Saturday, and the Reds were widely expected to win despite their issues of late.
If there is any positive for fans over the coming weeks, the club's fixture list is somewhat favourable given they play West Ham United, Sunderland, Leeds United and Brighton & Hove Albion in their next four games.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch insisted that there are no excuses for not winning a number of matches over the winter period, saying: "If you look at the games coming up, there are a lot of winnable games in there, even if you take out the Champions League ones.
"The average position of the teams they're going to face is 14th, and they've got a lot of the bottom six to come. If you come to the end of that run, and you've won most of the next 10 fixtures, something like six, seven or eight, the league table is going to look an awful lot healthier, but they've got to go and do it."
Liverpool will play Fulham, Leeds and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the three games prior to their clash against Arsenal at the Emirates on January 8, though the gap at the top of the table is likely to be significant regardless of the team's form.
Liverpool players during their side's match against Nottingham Forest, on November 22, 2025
Champions League race: Can Liverpool finish in the top four?
The Merseysiders could be as low as 12th by the end of the weekend's action, but they are only two points from fourth-placed Crystal Palace.
Liverpool may no longer be in the hunt for the title, but the inconsistency of the teams around them mean that their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League have not been extinguished.
Lynch was confident that the Reds have enough quality to finish in the top four, when he told Sports Mole: "Look at how condensed it is. Liverpool have been in such bad form, yet they're two points off fourth - that is absolutely crazy. It shows you that if you put four wins on the spin together, top four is a non-issue.
"The job is to actually go and start winning games, but I don't think top four should be in doubt, mainly because I look at the teams around them and I'm not convinced. Manchester United are having a fantastic season I'm told, but they're level on points with Liverpool.
"You look at Bournemouth but they're one point ahead. Villa, who have rolled back into form recently, were a team Liverpool beat quite comfortably. Tottenham, they've also got 18 points. It's crazy how condensed it is there, but because nobody is that consistent, even a middling run would make you quite comfortable in that top four."
If Liverpool continue to drop points and they risk missing out on Champions League qualification, perhaps Slot's job would then be under serious threat.
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