Souness opens up on tough season for Liverpool and tips to secure top 4 spot

Graeme Souness says several players at Liverpool must 'take a look at themselves' at the end of a season which has seen the club embroiled in a top-four dogfight.

The Anfield outfit floundered in their Premier League title defence due to a miserable patch of form and are now scrapping for their lives to seal a spot in the Champions League for next season.

Former Reds boss Souness believes that, while he has seen promising signs the Liverpool of old are returning, some stars must hold an inquest this summer to avoid a repeat of the frustration.

Liverpool's pulsating 4-2 victory at Manchester United does mean that their fate is ultimately in their hands, however, with just three fixtures left this term to squeeze into fourth or above.

This would be an impressive feat after they were cut adrift of the chase and with a number of big names at the club being guilty of below-par showings.

'I thought the other night there were glimpses of them being back to their best,' Souness said on Sky Sports. 'The intensity was back in the game.

'They were fabulous, Old Trafford has not been a happy hunting ground for Liverpool, even going back to the day when they were dominant.

'I'm fancying them now (for top four). They're playing with their tails up, playing like I expect them to play.

'A few people will look at themselves at the end of the season and ask, "did I have a good season?" The majority would say no.

'Park this season, Champions League next season and get back on the horse.'

A win at West Brom this afternoon would see Liverpool close the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea to just a single point, with the race for a seat at the top table running all the way until the end of the season.

Jurgen Klopp then leads his team to a trip to face Burnley at Turf Moor, before a clash against Crystal Palace rounds off the campaign.

To qualify for the Champions League, Liverpool must win all three games.

Midfielder Fabinho, who has fallen victim to the club's injury crisis and been forced to fill in across various positions as a result, believes that securing a finish in the top four should be judged as a 'success'.

He told Sky Sports: 'If you asked me at the beginning of the season, I would say no.

'At the beginning we are always optimistic, I would talk about winning trophies.

'Right now, I would say yes because the season has been a little bit strange. After the injuries, the bad moments we've had, being in the top four would mean a success.'