23 January 2023 , 00:00
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Former Anfield favourite Michael Owen has claimed that even Lionel Messi would struggle to make an impact at Liverpool right now after the Reds failed to lay a glove on Chelsea at the weekend.
Just months after challenging for an unprecedented quadruple, Jurgen Klopp's side have endured a nightmare campaign and are miles off the pace at the top of the Premier League. And their rotten run continued on Saturday afternoon as they produced another tepid display at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool had new signing Cody Gakpo leading the line in west London but it was the Blues who had the better chances and looked far more likely to win the game.
Prior to his £37million switch to the Premier League, Gakpo had been one of the most prolific forwards in Europe after plundering 13 goals and registering 17 assists in just 24 games. However, he has failed to find the net in four appearances so far for Liverpool.
Following Gakpo's latest blank, the 23-year-old was defended by Owen, who argued that even the likes of Messi would struggle to thrive at Liverpool as a result of the issues that have plagued them this season.
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Speaking to Premier League Productions, Owen said: "I feel sorry for him actually because he’s coming in to a team that are really inconsistent and drained of all the confidence that we’ve seen in the past.
"He had a couple of half-chances today [against Chelsea ] and it’s clear he’s trying. I’m sure he’s going to be a good signing for the future but at the moment, I would defy even Lionel Messi to come in and look good in this team because it’s really struggling."
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Cody Gakpo struggled to make an impact against Chelsea (John Powell/Getty Images)The stalemate at Stamford Bridge, coupled with results elsewhere over the weekend, means the Reds are ninth in the Premier League standings - ahead of Chelsea on goal difference.
And Klopp found plenty of positives in the result, which came just a week after Liverpool were thrashed 3-0 by Brighton. Speaking after the match, the German said: "I liked the start of the first half and particularly the start of the second half, so that was good and we need to extend these spells.
"We had moments when we played pretty well. For me it is clear, you have to be ready to make little steps and this was a little step. I expect progress and, from the last league game, it was progress, definitely. That is important."
Liverpool have the opportunity to exact revenge on the Seagulls next weekend when the two sides meet in the fourth round of the FA Cup at the AMEX Stadium.