Diouf bizarrely claims Liverpool bottled Prem title last season

El Hadji Diouf has come out with arguably his most laughable claim yet after he was quoted as saying Liverpool bottled the chance to win the title last season – and has also discounted their hopes of ending that drought in 2020.

The Reds finished the 2018/19 season just a point adrift of eventually winners Manchester City – but can consider themselves unlucky with their 97-point total – and single defeat all season – would have seen them crowned champions by some margin in all but one of the Premier League’s previous 26-year history.

And Liverpool have made an equally-strong start this season, with Jurgen Klopp’s side winning all six of their matches so far to top the early table and rekindle hopes of ending their long wait. It also forced Andy Robertson to answer questions about a possible Invincibles season.

But Diouf, who endured a miserable three-year stint at Anfield between 2002 and 2005, has discounted their chances of glory – and had a few choice words over last season’s narrow miss.

He told FourFourTwo: “I don’t see them doing as well as they did last season.

“They had the chance to win the league title; they had it in their hands and then let it slip.

“They were seven points ahead around Christmas – how Manchester City got it in the end beats my mind. As they say in England, I think they bottled it.

“If you have only one defeat in a whole season, surely you can’t say that you didn’t win the league – so it’s hard for me to imagine them having such a similar season and coming out as champions.

“Manchester City will be the team to beat once again.”

It’s not the first time Diouf has gone in both barrels on Liverpool. In 2017, he furiously lambasted “Mr Liverpool” Steven Gerrard, while earlier this year he went on the offensive towards club legend Jamie Carragher.

 

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