Jurgen Klopp banishes pre Rangers form worries as Liverpool boss issues Messi and Ronaldo reminder

In truth, all this dysfunctioning is becoming a bit of an embarrassment.

Just when Jurgen Klopp thinks his Liverpool side is all revved up again and ready for action, it keeps failing to rise to the occasion. Don’t think it’s not playing on his mind either. One look at the German’s unusually pained expressions yesterday told a story of a man who has suffered one flop too many.

But he’s not exactly the panicking type. On the contrary, Klopp took a very philosophical view on it yesterday as he prepared for another big date under the lights against Rangers. “If it can happen to Messi and Ronaldo then it can happen to anyone!”, was how he explained it when asked why his players have suddenly started losing it when under pressure to perform. It’s a confidence crisis which could have seen coming, never mind Klopp himself.

And it’s left his all-star side blushing uncomfortably in ninth place in the English top flight - and facing a fight just to make it out of Group A and into the knock-out stages of their favourite competition after an opening night pounding in Napoli.

Hot on the heels of dropping another two Premier League points at home to Brighton on Saturday, Klopp is now asking himself some of the toughest questions he’s faced during his time on Merseyside.

Honestly, this has never happened to him before. Or maybe it has. Klopp explained yesterday: “We’ve had conversations like this already this year before, especially after the Napoli game when we all realised, ‘OK wow! That’s our real low point. We have to change things quickly,’.

“As always in life, when you spot a problem you think about it and think you have the solution. Then, of course, you expect the solution to be instant. Bang! Sorted! But, in football, that’s