‘We can’t rely on the past!’ – Robertson admits Liverpool’s form is ‘nowhere near good enough’ after Chelsea humbling

Andrew Robertson admitted Liverpool’s form is “nowhere near good enough” after their humbling at the hands of Chelsea, while insisting they “can’t rely on the past”.

The defending Premier League champions slipped to seventh in the table following a 1-0 loss at home to the Blues on Thursday night.

Mason Mount grabbed the only goal of the game in the 42nd minute, but the Reds were fortunate not to lose by a greater margin, and Robertson concedes that their performance levels are falling well below the required standard at the moment.

What’s been said?

The Liverpool full-back told Sky Sports after the final whistle: “These games are won and lost on fine margins and these goals can’t happen. For us to get beaten on the counter-attack is not good enough.

“Five home games without a win, that is nowhere near good enough. Nothing is going to help the fans at home and it is simply not good enough because games are running out for what we want.

“Too many heads are going down when we go 1-0 down, we cant do that. Football is about taking knocks.

“We can’t rely on the past. Last season is over with, it is done. We have nowhere near been good enough to what a Liverpool team should be. We are dropping further and it is not good enough.

“Games are running out and we need to put the pressure on the teams below us. People will think we are down and out and we need to get the results to show them we are not. At the moment we are not doing that.”

Liverpool’s spectacular fall from grace

Liverpool seemed to be marching relentlessly towards a second successive title after thrashing Crystal Palace 7-0 at Selhurst Park on December 18 – a result which saw them lead the standings once again on Christmas Day.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s side have only won three of their subsequent 13 fixtures, drawing three and losing seven, including their last five at Anfield.

The Reds are now four points behind Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League spot and a whopping 23 adrift of current pacesetters Manchester City, who look destined to pick up the Premier League trophy again come May.

The bigger picture

Liverpool still have 11 games left to overhaul Chelsea, starting with a home fixture against Fulham on Sunday, and the return of a number of injury absentees will surely boost their chances.

Diogo Jota and Fabinho both returned against the Blues after lengthy respective spells on the sidelines, while Naby Keita was named on the bench following two months out with an ankle injury.

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson are all still missing, but Liverpool still have enough strength in depth to compete with the best if they can rediscover their confidence in the coming weeks.

They can also still qualify for the Champions League by winning the competition in May, having already put one foot in the quarter-finals by beating RB Leipzig 2-0 in the first leg of their round of 16 tie.

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