Liverpool are still best of the rest and should finish second behind Man City

Even Jurgen Klopp has admitted defeat in Liverpool's title challenge but those suggesting he needs to take an axe to the current team are wide of the mark.

I still fancy them to finish second to Manchester City this term and it's just been an horrendous run of injuries for them, starting with Virgil van Dijk's serious problem picked up in the Merseyside derby in mid-October.

Liverpool actually coped pretty well without the top-class Dutchman in the early stages and it was only when Joe Gomez and Joel Matip followed Van Dijk on the long-term injury list that the team started to creak.

Fabinho alongside either of them would have been fine but not many teams can used two central midfielders at the heart of their defence.

Jordan Henderson has been particularly missed in midfield with his high-intensity approach perfect for the team, but I really don't see many long-term issues.

It may not help to create headlines over the Liverpool crisis but it has really been the perfect storm. Injuries combined with a condensed season that was never likely to suit a Klopp team has meant they are about to fall short having been at full tilt for three years in a row.

A Champions League final followed by Champions League winners and nearly 100 Premier League points before winning the title is a brilliant spell.

It's just almost impossible to maintain those standards for much longer, but I see them as being able to come back strong next season.

They are the only side in the league capable of keeping tabs on City by winning a long sequence of matches and I confidently predict that Thiago Alcantara will be at the heart of not only their efforts this term with the Champions League, but also the Premier League title tilt in 2021-22.

The criticism of Thiago is very harsh. You can find fault in anything if you look hard enough but the idea that he is lost in a pressing-based side can't ring true if he played for Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

He may not do it quite as well as Henderson or Gini Wijnaldum, but technically, Thiago is vastly superior to any other Liverpool midfielder and is up there with Kevin De Bruyne in terms of ability to make that forward pass.

Thiago's awareness and range of passing is spot-on and he sees the picture of the pitch before most other players. He always wants to make a forward pass and in no way will he have a negative impact on Liverpool in the long-term.

I feel increasingly sorry for him as he is being blamed in some quarters, but he has been injured, had Covid and come into a team lacking in confidence.

The win over Leipzig should do Liverpool the world of good and they should take that into the Merseyside derby on Saturday where my bet would be draw-Liverpool double result.

Everton will look to keep it tight and may do so for a period but eventually Liverpool's superior quality can tell.

Scott Minto presents the Racing Post's weekly YouTube football show Different League in association with Betfred

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