Michael Owen plays down Liverpool’s so-called ‘mini crisis’ and backs Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak to rediscover form after the Reds’ £450m rebuild.
Owen has urged calm over Liverpool’s recent slump as head coach Arne Slot navigates his side most testing spell as Reds boss.
Liverpool slipped to second in the Premier League before the international break following a bruising 2-1 defeat at Chelsea their third loss in succession.
Estevao’s late goal compounded what has been a frustrating fortnight for the reigning champions. Eddie Nketiah’s stoppage-time strike for Crystal Palace a week earlier had already exposed the Reds growing vulnerability in the final moments of matches.
Slot’s side now trail leaders Arsenal by a single point and face a potentially season-shaping return to action this Sunday when Manchester United visit Anfield.
Pressure has inevitably started to build after a summer of heavy investment and scrutiny over performances from key players, not least Salah, whose output has dipped below his typically elite standards. But Micheal Owen insists there is no reason for panic.
“It’s interesting with Liverpool,” he told the ECHO via Casino.co.uk. “If we spoke before the defeats, we’d be saying, what a fantastic start five out of five wins in the Premier League, one out of one in the Champions League. After three defeats, suddenly it almost feels like a ‘mini crisis’, or at least that’s what people are labelling it.”
The former Liverpool striker believes the noise surrounding the club is typical of football’s short-term cycles.
“It just shows how fickle football is and how quick it can change,” he continued. “They’ve just got to make sure that they win their next game and bounce out of it, and then people will focus on something else again.”
Owen, who scored 158 goals in 297 appearances for Liverpool, also dismissed suggestions that Isak’s arrival has disrupted Salah’s rhythm, instead backing both to thrive once fully settled.
“In terms of their forwards, going through them individually Mo Salah’s obviously not going through his best of patches now, but you can never write him off,” Owen said. “He’s still fit and healthy and injury-free and been top of his game for years. There’s no doubt, surely in anybody’s mind, that he’ll be banging them in again soon.”
He was equally positive about the club’s attacking depth and the integration of Slot’s new signings.
“Cody Gakpo is playing well, and did show some good signs last season, too,” he added. “As for Hugo Ekitike, he’s probably been my pick of the bunch in terms of the new signings I think he’s done very well. Alexander Isak is coming back after not really having a pre-season, so he’s coming in and out of the starting XI to try and get sharp and fit.”
While frustration lingers over Liverpool’s missed opportunities in recent weeks, Owen believes performances have not been as concerning as results might suggest.
“If I was putting a fan’s hat on, I’d be relaxed overall,” he said. “I’d be obviously disappointed with the Chelsea defeat, but Stamford Bridge is a tough place to go it’s never easy. I certainly can’t remember ever winning there as a player. That game could have gone either way, and it’s not like Liverpool are playing badly. I wouldn’t be as hot and bothered as some people are about it.”
Slot’s challenge now is to translate those positives into points, with a clash against United offering both a chance to reset and an opportunity to silence the doubters.
