Liverpool legend lays out what success will be for Arne Slot’s side this season

Liverpool head into the new year having struggled in the defence of their Premier League title this season. 

Despite a solid start to the campaign, Arne Slot’s men went through an early slump and have already suffered six defeats in the league before the turn of the year. 

In recent weeks, their form has picked up and they currently find themselves back in the mix for European places, a position that club legend John Barnes says is the minimum requirement left for the club this season. 

Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, thanks to BetMGM, the former England winger says Champions League football should be the minimum target for his former side. 

“Success for Arne Slot now is what success meant for every other team but Liverpool and Man City, which is top four,” Barnes said. 

“When people talk about top four, first and second is never top four. If you have a club saying we want to be in the top four, they mean third or fourth. They don't mean first or second.

"Man City, Arsenal, won’t say we want to be in the top four, we either want to win it or we finish second. So for Liverpool, when I say top four, I would say fourth, third or because I think that we've got good enough to beat anybody in our day, but I don't think we're playing consistently well enough to put a run together to win the league. 

“But if we could finish fourth, I think that would be a good season to make sure we're in the Champions League for next year.” 

Following a summer in which the Merseysiders made significant investments in improving their championship-winning squad, many predicted that Liverpool would retain the Premier League crown. 

Names such as Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike moved to Anfield, but Barnes believes part of the Reds' downfall this season has been the fact that they’ve had to try and accommodate those new faces into the team and Slot’s system. 

Adding, “When you buy five new players, which is half of a team, it'll take time for them to gel because you look at them individually, they're very, very good players. But it takes time for us to create a new way of playing with a new philosophy, with new players. 

“One or two players can fit into the old system, 11 players can create a new system, whereas bringing five in to try and blend them is difficult.

“But the good thing about it is that they're all good characters, they're all good individual players, fantastic individual players.

“Once the manager gets the blend right and the balance right of how we're going to play moving forward, I think we'll be okay for next season.”

How to watch the Premier League in Canada

Soccer fans in Canada can watch every Premier League match during the 2025-26 season on DAZN.

With Fubo Sports on DAZN, Canadians can catch Premier League action as well as Serie A. Additionally, DAZN is the home of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Bundesliga and more.

For pricing information and to sign up to watch, click here.