Paul Merson believes Liverpool's run of poor form is a sign of the club losing its fear factor in a similar way to Manchester United.
Jurgen Klopp's side have made a poor start to the Premier League season and find themselves a whopping 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal after 12 games.
Leeds handed Liverpool their first Premier League defeat at Anfield in 29 games
A frustrated Jurgen Klopp knows his side already face a fight to qualify for next season's Champions League
The latest blow to their fading title ambitions came on Saturday evening when struggling Leeds United left Anfield with a 2-1 win, leaving Klopp's side languishing in ninth place on the table.
Liverpool have picked up some valiant victories despite their stuttering start, including a 1-0 win against Manchester City, but Merson points to Liverpool's inconsistency as a key factor as to why their season is yet to truly take off.
"To put in a performance like Liverpool did against Manchester City and then follow it up with defeats against Nottingham Forest and Leeds is inexcusable. Liverpool took one step forward and four steps back," Merson told skysports.com.
"Only the players can put in a performance like they did against City and then the ones against Forest and Leeds. Only the players can tell you what was different on those occasions.
"After the performance against City we thought, here we go. With Forest and Leeds up next, it was an opportunity for Liverpool to take off. But now, they are in major trouble. Jurgen Klopp must be pulling his hair out."
Leeds' win at Anfield brought Liverpool's 29-match unbeaten home run to an end and was the first time Virgil van Dijk had featured in a home defeat since signing for the club in 2018.
The defeat against Leeds followed a 1-0 reverse at bottom club Nottingham Forest
Merson believes Leeds' victory is down to a belief that opposing teams can topple the Reds on their own patch, with the club's fear factor seemingly ebbing away.
During Merson's career as a player, playing at Man United was seen as a benchmark of how good you were.
United were the dominant team in the 1990s when Merson played for Arsenal and he says teams could often be beaten before arriving at Old Trafford.
He added: "Teams are not scared of Liverpool anymore. It's slowly mirroring what happened with Old Trafford. As a player I used to dread going to Manchester United. You used to play well there and still get beat, nowadays if you play well there you win. If you play well at Liverpool now there's a strong chance you will win.
Merson insists Liverpool are losing their fear factor in a similar way to Manchester United
"Liverpool's prospects have all changed since the start of the season.
They are not Premier League title contenders anymore, they have to get into the top four and secure Champions League football, it's as simple as that. If they don't get into the top four, the sale of [Sadio] Mane for £30m will start to look really, really bad."
Liverpool host Napoli next before a Premier League trip to Tottenham on Sunday.
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