Ex-Liverpool defender Glen Johnson says that his former club will have to improve on recent performances if they are to have any chance of finishing in the top four this season.

Saturday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest means Jurgen Klopp’s side are currently five points off the Champions League places and, at the moment, Johnson says he agrees with Gabriel Agbonlahor that the Reds won’t be contention for fourth place:

“Right now, yes I agree with Agbonlahor, Liverpool won’t reach the top four. As we’re having this conversation, there are technically nine better teams than Liverpool right now in terms of the table. But once they find a bit of form, of course, they will be around the top four, but those places look like they will be tough to achieve.”

Liverpool are actually sitting eighth, with seven teams ahead of them, but you do understand where Johnson is coming from. In addition to the usual suspects such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea, Newcastle look like they could be real contenders. Eddie Howe’s men have only lost once this campaign.

It’s becoming a crowded field and, if Klopp’s men don’t rectify their inconsistent form over the coming weeks and months, there is a very real danger that they could be left behind in the race for Champions League qualification.