Former Wales coach Raymond Verheijen has claimed that Liverpool's poor start to 2017 was predictable due to manager Jurgen Klopp's training methods.
The Merseyside outfit have won just one game out of seven in 2017, with their most recent match ending in elimination from the EFL Cup.
Klopp recorded his first ever defeat in a semi-final after Shane Long scored the only goal at Anfield to seal a 2-0 aggregate win for Southampton on Wednesday night.
In a series of tweets, Verheijen challenged Klopp to 'raise his bar' and suggested that his disappointing seventh and final season in charge of Borussia Dortmund was down to him working the players too hard.
He wrote: "Liverpool manager Klopp has run his players into the ground during pre-season. Consequently, players cannot perform during an entire season.
"Most people in football have opinions on hindsight. Liverpool crumbling in 2nd half of season was already predicted multiple times in August.
"Overall, Klopp is one of the best managers in the world. But he clearly has some flaws in his pre-season training methods. Raise your bar! After a few seasons the Dortmund players were totally squeezed by Klopp: many muscle injuries, several ACL injuries & relegation problems."
Liverpool will now switch their attention to the FA Cup, where they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fourth round this weekend.
Danielle Joynson
