Jermaine Pennant has insisted Liverpool will come good, despite their struggles under Arne Slot this term.
The Reds are the reigning Premier League champions but, with 11 games played, sit eight points behind Arsenal at the summit.
Fans had hoped they’d turned a corner when they beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the Champions League before the international break, with Alexis Mac Allister heading home the only goal of the game.
But they were brought crashing back down to earth last time out, with Manchester City cruising to a 3-0 victory following efforts from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku.
Some have already written Liverpool off. Yet Pennant, speaking exclusively to GB News via Unibet casino sites, believes they’ll soon be back to their best.
“With plenty of changes over the summer, it does take time to get used to new players coming in,” said the 42-year-old, who was on the Reds’ books for three years between 2006 and 2009.
“Especially in defence with Trent [Alexander-Arnold] leaving and [Milos] Kerkez coming in, the new partnerships take time to gel.
“Striker wise, new patterns of play need to be developed as well [following the arrival of Alexander Isak], so it can take time to get all the right level of consistency.
Liverpool’s big names have struggled this season
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GETTY
“With Isak as well coming in so late, this wasn’t easy as the team had played a few games, before he started playing.”
Liverpool spent big on both Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
Yet neither player has adjusted to life in their new surroundings, much to the frustration of both Slot and the club’s supporters.
Regarding Wirtz, plenty of players have struggled coming into the Premier League from the Bundesliga.
Florian Wirtz has had a tough start to life to life in the Premier League | GETTY
Pennant, however, thinks the former Bayer Leverkusen star will soon start silencing his critics.
“I am sure he will,” he said when asked if the playmaker will come good and justify his huge £116million transfer fee.
“You just only need to look at his record and it speaks volumes as to why Liverpool wanted to secure his signature to play for the club.
“He is hugely talented and will be a big asset. It can take time to gel in a new country and it looks like he hasn’t fully settled, but I am sure he will.
“Once he gets a goal or two, I expect us to see the Wirtz from his time in Germany and be a top addition to the squad.”
Recently, Slot raised eyebrows by suggesting Liverpool lack strength in depth compared to their rivals.
That’s despite bringing in the likes of Wirtz, Isak, Hugo Ekitike and Milos Kerkez.
Alexander Isak has scored just one goal for Liverpool
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REUTERSFans rounded on Slot, believing he was out of touch with reality given Liverpool’s huge summer outlay.
Pennant thinks it’s a storm in a teacup and that his comments were merely taken out of context.
However, he also admits that Liverpool have spent enough to cope with such a congested fixture schedule, too.
“Maybe taken out of context, but you can’t say the depth isn’t enough,” he said.
“Liverpool spent a huge amount in the summer.
“They did let players leave and replaced them, so it is just a case of the new players gelling together and with Isak only joining at the end of the transfer window, he needs time to get up to speed and integrated and be fully fit.”
