'We're not robots!' - Shaqiri plays down Liverpool slump

Preparing to take on the league leaders, the Reds find themselves with a seven-point deficit against their upcoming opponents.

Liverpool have been far from their high standards in recent times, but Xherdan Shaqiri insists his side’s slump is only ‘normal’.

In the previous Premier League outing, Liverpool suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Brighton – a team sitting just four places above the drop zone.

In fact, the defending champions have managed just two wins in their last 10 games, picking up a mere nine points out of the available 30.

A series of undesirable results leave them at fourth place in the league standings, seven points behind table-toppers Manchester City, who have a game in hand.

It’s clear that Jurgen Klopp’s men have lost much of their resilience and determination from the last season when they cruised to the title to end a 30-year-long wait – and the hope of a title defense is fading.

Shaqiri, however, defends Liverpool’s slip in standards and believes the title race remains wide open.

“We are like normal people who have ups and downs. That’s normal,” the Swiss winger told the Daily Mail. “We are not robots who can always be on 200 per cent.

“Maybe we have had a few games where we were not so good. There have been a lot of top teams this season who have not been on top form but we are still there and in the top three or four so we cannot complain it’s so bad. I see it differently to people from outside.

“We are one of the best teams in the Premier League and the world. We are normal people and not robots, so we have weak moments sometimes when we are not so good and other teams are getting better all the time and that’s also a normal thing in life.

“We are in the best league in the world and this season you can see that everybody can beat everybody. It’s going to be an interesting season. The league title is still open. It’s going to be special in this way.”