By: Sports DeskJanuary 4, 2026 02:52 PM IST 3 min readLiverpool's Alexis Mac Allister reacts at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Leeds United in Liverpool, England, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Super)Premier League defending champions Liverpool have had a poor season so far by the standards they have set for themselves in the previous year. After 19 games, they are placed in fourth spot with 33 points. Arsenal Ashton Villa, and Manchester City are placed in the top three with 48, 42 and 41 points respectively.Footballer Alexis Mac Allister said he does not see Liverpool retaining their title this season. “Many things changed as I said, new players came in to replace those who left, we changed too many things, but I prefer to keep it to myself. There are not many chances of Liverpool retaining the title. I hate to say it, but it is quite clear,” said Mac Allister, speaking on Sky Sports.“Arsenal is in a really good moment, Manchester City is quite close, but we are not close in terms of performances or results, so I do not see us becoming champions again. It hurts because this should be a moment when we are enjoying the Premier League which we won and we should be in a much better place than we are,” he added.However, the midfielder is optimistic that Liverpool will fight in the cup competitions. “For me it is quite clear but in terms of goals, the Champions League is there and we will definitely fight for that one because it would be a very nice one. And the FA Cup, which is a really important cup for English teams. We are still there, we are going to play soon and that is another goal for us. When you play for Liverpool, you always have to fight for everything.”Earlier in the week, Liverpool’s manager acknowledged there are only two teams in the title race. Slot said Liverpool cannot be considered title contenders at the moment with Arsenal and Manchester City — separated by four points — too far ahead while Aston Villa have also fallen by the wayside after their defeat against the league leaders. “Realistically, I think there are two teams… with Villa being really close to them but because Arsenal won against Villa they created a bit of a gap (six points) towards Villa as well,” Slot said.“Realistically, those two teams are quite far away from us and we should not look at those two at this moment in time.” © IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:liverpool