John Arne Riise gives his honest thoughts on Liverpool's title hopes

Former Red John Arne Riise has given his honest opinion on Liverpool's 2021-22 Premier League title hopes.

After 11 matches, the Reds sit in fourth-place on the table. Liverpool are only four points behind league leaders Chelsea.

Despite that being the case, Riise is not convinced that the Reds can win the title this season.

The Norwegian believes that Liverpool don't have the strength in depth to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City.

“I’m really concerned about the depth in the squad. I don’t think they have the top, top, top-class players. Like last season, when we lost [Virgil] van Dijk and then a few other players, you can see we struggled, and I’m scared it could be the same again this year,” Riise told talkSPORT.

“[Players] could be injured, suspension, [or missing for the] African Cup of Nations [Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita], when we lose some players. I’m a little bit worried that’s when the title is going to be decided.

“I don’t think we are strong enough – depth-wise – to compete in the long run with Manchester City or Chelsea.”

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

There is no denying that Chelsea and Manchester City possess strong squads. There is a reason why both sides currently sit in first-place and second-place respectively on the Premier League table.

However, the current group of Liverpool players have won the title before. Therefore, we are not prepared to write the Reds off just yet.

But, if the Reds want to win the title this season, they will need to improve on their recent form. Liverpool have dropped points in their past two Premier League fixtures.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp will also have to find a way to cover the players that will be unavailable at the beginning of next year due to the Africa Cup of Nations.