Wednesday 10 December 2014 19:54, UK
Gerry Francis says only Liverpool players can save their season after they crashed out of the Champions League.
The 1-1 draw against FC Basel at Anfield saw them drop into the Europa League at the end of a campaign described by manager Brendan Rodgers as "not good enough".
His side now face a daunting sequence of fixtures which will go a long way to defining their season. It starts with a trip to face rivals Manchester United, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, a League Cup quarter-final against Bournemouth before hosting Arsenal.
Francis believes Liverpool have been struggling all season due to the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona but the players need to draw upon the team spirit within the camp to ensure Champions League qualification.
"It's not just their form in Europe, it’s been their form all season," he told The Morning View on Sky Sports News HQ. "They have been a shadow of the team they were last season.
“They’ve obviously lost Suarez and with Daniel Sturridge being out that’s a big problem for any team. I certainly feel Suarez was really, really important to them last year.
“Manchester United is obviously a massive game so that will lift the players anyway. It’s really going out there and performing as a collective unit and staying together and seeing if they can pick up some points because they need to get into the top four if they want to get back into the Champions League next year.”
