It's no secret Liverpool are going through a tough time right now.After dropping points once again at the weekend, the Reds have now only won once in their last seven games and seven points off the pace.Newcastle are the latest team to hold Jurgen Klopp's men and since Burnley held them at Anfield they've also drawn both of their Champions League ties.Despite their stuttering form, Klopp believes his side aren't far away from being genuine challengers for the title.“I really think it looks like we are not far away from a real challenger,” he said. “If we do what we are good at then we can score more goals and we will win more games and we don't have to think about other teams and we will close the gap."Former Manchester City man Joey Barton doesn't see it that way, however.According to the one-time England international - currently in the midst of serving an 18-month ban for a Football Association charge in relation to betting - Liverpool strikes a resemblance to former world champion boxer, Amir Khan.“They are so chinny, to use a boxing analogy. They throw a great array of punches, they are lovely going forward but they remind me of Amir Khan, they are just getting knocked out,” said Barton, as quoted on Alan Brazil’s Sports Breakfast’s official Twitter account on Monday morning.

The Reds have failed to keep a clean sheet since the 4-0 demolition of Arsenal back in August some seven games ago and they have only managed two in all competitions so far this season.

Klopp's failure to land Virgil Van Dijk in the summer meant the red half of Merseyside failed to address a problem position in the summer and many fans have been vocal in their disappointment that the German did not have a Plan B.

While the poor defending continues and Liverpool continue to drop points, Klopp's position at the club will continue to be scrutinised.

Still, they haven't been knocked out as many times as Khan, surely!