Liverpool will not win the title this season. I am not convinced Jürgen Klopp will ever be able to bring it back to Anfield. I am not sure when my old club will win it again. I certainly do not see it happening in the near future.

These are not pleasant words with which to introduce myself as a columnist for The Telegraph, but such is the current balance of power in the Premier League Liverpool must face a harsh reality.

It is no longer appropriate to evaluate the success or otherwise of a Liverpool manager based on whether he wins the league. The competition is too strong to set the bar so high.

There is no doubt the ultimate ambition remains the same as it has been since the last title in 1990 and the onus is on Klopp and Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group to banish such pessimism, but every season I find myself asking the same questions. How can Liverpool do it? How can they compete with three of the wealthiest clubs in the world? Given the history and expectations at Anfield, has Liverpool become English football’s impossible job?

Manchester United, City and Chelsea are formidable on and off the park. They have financial strength and a winning culture Liverpool do not currently possess. For the last seven years FSG has tried to approach transfers in a studious way. It has yielded one League Cup. I think FSG are good owners, but to win the league their approach in the transfer market must be as robust as the big three, and I am not convinced they have the capacity to match them.