Clyne confident of Liverpool's title credentials

Nathaniel Clyne is buying into the notion of Liverpool as a title challenger, so long as the club's current form keeps up.

Inconsistency and a lack of ideas against defensive teams led to a frustrating eighth-place finish in 2015-16. The remnants of those issues were evident in the 2-0 loss at Burnley in August, but with Jurgen Klopp's call for more "anger" from his ranks, Clyne believes the Reds can compete at the top this term.

"I don't see why not. We've got the squad of players to fight for the title," said the England international.

"If we keep playing how we are then hopefully we can be in amongst it at the end of the season."

In Liverpool's last outing, a 2-1 win at Chelsea under the Friday-night lights, great encouragement was taken from both the sensible usage of possession and an emphatic strike from Jordan Henderson. Plus, the Merseyside outfit took all the spoils in the absence of in-form forward Roberto Firmino.

The impact of new signings Joel Matip, Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum, and most recently, Loris Karius, have also been promising. The positive signs are evidence of Klopp leaving his stamp on Liverpool after enjoying his first summer since taking the helm last October.

"Everyone knows their roles and you can see how it's working and paying off on the field," the right-back continued. "There's a serious side to him (Klopp) on the pitch. If someone's not doing what he's asked, he'll let them know.

"We really make life difficult for the opposition and play at 100 miles an hour. We're entertaining to watch."

Liverpool aims to show some of its "bouncebackability" - as Clyne calls it - from the Burnley disappointment, by this time beating a recently promoted outfit in Hull City at Humberside this Saturday.