Dietmar Hamann has suggested that Roy Keane’s claim that Liverpool are “bad champions” was “completely exaggerated”.
Liverpool have had a gruelling season so far. They have been hit by a number of serious injuries to key defenders. Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip have all suffered season-ending injuries at different points of the campaign.
Their Premier League form has taken a hit as a result of this. The Reds have lost three straight games in the league. This has seen them drop down to sixth in the table. They have also lost three games in a row at Anfield to Burnley, Brighton and Manchester City.
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Reds boss Jurgen Klopp admitted after recent 3-1 defeat to Leicester City that they are out of the title race. They are 13 points behind Man City and Pep Guardiola’s side also have a game in hand.
Keane recently said on Sky Sports, as cited by The Independent, that Liverpool have been making a “lot of excuses”. He finished his statement by labelling Klopp’s side as “bad champions”.
Hamann told Sportbuzzer that Liverpool’s “problems can be explained” and that Keane’s words were “completely exaggerated”:
“Not only is [Virgil] van Dijk missing, but Joel Matip and Joe Gomez are also. If the entire central defence isn’t there, even Liverpool can’t do anything.
“Thiago should pull the strings, but he still seems like a foreign body to me.
“Then there is the short break, the hassle of games. Freshness, dominance and impact are missing.
“In their heyday, they stole the air from opponents to breathe. Right now, they have to work very hard for every win, but I’m not really concerned about Liverpool.
“Klopp has achieved great things. The foundation for lasting success is in place.”
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