Ex-assistant manager Phil Thompson, a title winner with Liverpool as a player, believes the side he played in didn't face as much pressure as Rafael Benitez's current squad.
“There wasn't the same pressure on us back then,” he told LFC Magazine. “We weren't expected to go out and win the title because we hadn't won it for so long.”
“Saying that, it had been seven years and the gap was a bit of a burden for us. It was a new team that Shanks was putting together. I was just a young lad when we won that first one, a midfielder that was making it.”
Thompson believes it takes determination throughout the season to win a title.
“You have to dig deep at times," he added. “People think that when we were winning those seven titles Liverpool were fantastic week in, week out. We weren't.”
“We had to dig deep playing in some of the lesser games to actually scrape a 1-0 win or a 2-1.”
Talking about the current squad, Thompson intimated that Liverpool need to be more ruthless.
“We need to be able to put teams away," the 55 year-old explained. “Even against Stoke at home last season, where we had about 27 attempts on goal, that aggressive streak to finish them off was missing.
“Liverpool blitzed the top four but still haven't won the title. We've only lost two games all season, but haven't won the title.
"If it had been a position where we drew against all those top teams but beat the lesser lights, with respect, we would probably have won the league."
“There wasn't the same pressure on us back then,” he told LFC Magazine. “We weren't expected to go out and win the title because we hadn't won it for so long.”
“Saying that, it had been seven years and the gap was a bit of a burden for us. It was a new team that Shanks was putting together. I was just a young lad when we won that first one, a midfielder that was making it.”
Thompson believes it takes determination throughout the season to win a title.
“You have to dig deep at times," he added. “People think that when we were winning those seven titles Liverpool were fantastic week in, week out. We weren't.”
“We had to dig deep playing in some of the lesser games to actually scrape a 1-0 win or a 2-1.”
Talking about the current squad, Thompson intimated that Liverpool need to be more ruthless.
“We need to be able to put teams away," the 55 year-old explained. “Even against Stoke at home last season, where we had about 27 attempts on goal, that aggressive streak to finish them off was missing.
“Liverpool blitzed the top four but still haven't won the title. We've only lost two games all season, but haven't won the title.
"If it had been a position where we drew against all those top teams but beat the lesser lights, with respect, we would probably have won the league."
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