Former Liverpool midfielder John Barnes says the current crop of Liverpool players are better placed to win the Premier League than they've ever been, citing the formidable balance possessed by Klopp's current group.
Barnes made over 300 appearances for Liverpool over ten years, winning the league in the 1987/88 season, but says the Reds team at present is more capable of winning the league than any over the last two decades.
Speaking exclusively for bookmaker comparison platform BonusCodeBets.co.uk, Barnes compared the present team to the one who ran close in 2013/14, saying:
“Even when we nearly won the Premier League in the season where Gerrard slipped, I think this is a better-balanced team and this team is more capable of winning because they also grind results out when they’re not playing well.
"This is probably the most balanced Liverpool team I’ve seen in the last 20-25 years.”
He added that, while there is a lot of work to be done, the six point gap between the Reds and the rest at the half way point means they are slight favourites to lift the trophy.
“I had Man City as favourites until the last two games, but I’d make Liverpool favourites now. It’s not necessarily ‘theirs to lose’, I think the Premier League is so difficult now.
"Once upon a time, the top five teams weren’t necessarily going to drop points, but these days you can see with Crystal Palace and Leicester beating City, that can actually happen. So, it’s much more difficult now to win the Premier League from a winning position.
“Numerically, it’s theirs to lose in terms of numbers they have on the board, but in terms of the difficulty of the competition, it’s definitely not finished.
"If they were six points ahead coming into April, then obviously it would be, so for now I make them favourites, but it’s not a forgone conclusion.”
Source : 90min