Jürgen Klopp is under pressure to turn around Liverpool’s dire form in 2017, with club great Jamie Carragher admitting that he has “worries” about his tactics as he continues to deploy players out of position.

Liverpool suffered a remarkable 3-1 defeat by reigning champions Leicester City on Monday night, with the scoreline a particular embarrassment for the Merseyside outfit given that Leicester had not scored a goal – let alone won – in the Premier League in 2017.

After going into the new year well in contention for the title, Liverpool are now struggling for a top four finish, and failure to qualify for the Champions League next season will not look good on Klopp given that he will have had more than 19 months in the job come the end of the season.

Former Liverpool defender Carragher expressed his concern with their recent form, and highlighted Klopp’s team selection as his biggest worry given that the club have not strengthened in the transfer market to bring in recognised defenders capable of playing in determined roles.

“Sometimes as a Liverpool fan when things go well you kid yourself at certain things,” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “James Milner isn't a left back, Lucas Leiva isn't a centre back.

“He shouldn't be playing there and I felt happy for him when he came off. It's like me playing at right wing. Jamie Vardy exposed him.”

He added: “Liverpool were shocking. I was at Hull and Burnley and they were all the same.

“I like Jürgen Klopp but I have worries with him. Liverpool are on course to concede 50 goals again this season and he hasn't gone to rectify it.

“Liverpool can't do what Manchester United can do in attracting big players like [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and [Paul] Pogba when things aren't going right.

Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Kasper Schmeichel 7/10 Made a series of good low saves. Could have done little to stop Liverpool's solitary goal. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Danny Simpson 7/10 Was unable to get forward as much as he would have liked but made an excellent first-half interception to prevent Coutinho from scoring. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Wes Morgan 7/10 Put in a performance that harked back to the Morgan of old. Did the simple stuff well and denied Firmino with a fine last-ditch tackle. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Robert Huth 6/10 Looked shaky when Mane isolated him in the penalty area early in the second-half. A threat going forward. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Christian Fuchs 6/10 Assisted Vardy's second goal with a sumptuous in-swinging cross. Had a couple of respectable shots from distance. AFP/Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Marc Albrighton 8/10 Very impressive. His pass for the opening goal was a thing of beauty. Impish display out wide. CameraSport via Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Danny Drinkwater 7/10 Grabbed his fair share of the headlines with a thunderous right-foot drive past Mignolet. Was occasionally guilty of dawdling on the ball, though. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Wilfred Ndidi 9/10 A contender for man of the match. Made 11 successful tackles: more than even N'Golo Kante ever managed in his time at the club. Liverpool FC via Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Riyad Mahrez 7/10 Showed flashes of talent dribbling forward but, running at Milner and Lucas, he should have made more of an impact. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Shinji Okazaki 7/10 Played instead of Ahmed Musa; a tactical decision Craig Shakespeare got spot on. A typically combative performance, constantly freeing up space for Vardy to run into. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Jamie Vardy 9/10 The quintessential Jamie Vardy performance. Showed confidence in front of goal and terrorised Lucas with his direct running. Superb: man of the match. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Simon Mignolet 6/10 Cannot be blamed for any of the goals. Made two good first-half saves. Ran decisively off his line to twice deny Vardy late on. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Nathaniel Clyne 5/10 Should have done better for the third goal, which came down the right-hand side. Inexplicably performed a rabona while Liverpool were 3-1 down, which didn't go down all too well. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Joel Matip 5/10 A poor performance, but had it all to do in a defence lacking confidence and featuring players deployed out of position. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Lucas 3/10 Dreadful. Frequently exposed by Vardy. Struggled for the forward's pace and struggled in the air. Out of position and short of quality. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings James Milner 4/10 Frequently caught out of position and struggled against the running of Mahrez and Vardy. Improved when shifted into midfield late on. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Emre Can 5/10 Liverpool badly missed Jordan Henderson. Can tried, but was often overran in midfield. Redeemed himself a little with a fine surge forward for Liverpool's consolation. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Georginio Wijnaldum 5/10 A poor performance from a player who has looked in form in recent weeks. Guilty of giving the ball away for Leicester's first goal. Offered nothing going forward. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Adam Lallana 5/10 Largely anonymous although did attempt to link up with Mane more in the second-half. That ultimately proved too little too late; hauled off by Klopp on the hour. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Philippe Coutinho 6/10 So far from his best. Took his goal very well but failed to capitalise on his half-chances in the first-half. Liverpool FC via Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Sadio Mane 5/10 Chopped down by Jamie Vardy just 20 seconds into the match. Restricted to a role on the fringes thereafter and ultimately disappointing. Getty Images Leicester 3 Liverpool 1: Player ratings Roberto Firmino 5/10 Barely involved. The stats tell their own story: 0 shots on goal, 0 through balls played and just three aerials won. Getty Images

“There's no way you can win anything conceding this amount of goals. Liverpool always play the same way. What's wrong with Liverpool going to a side like Leicester and letting [Robert] Huth and [Wes] Morgan have the ball and using [Sadio] Mane's pace?

“I just don't know why he hasn't changed the tactics. He's got too much faith in certain players. He's got to make changes in the summer and it reinforces that.”

Klopp was furious with his Liverpool team during the defeat by Leicester (Getty)

Carragher was backed up in his concerns by co-analyst Gary Neville, with the former Manchester United defender and England coach questioning what the benefit of their mid-season trip to Spain for a training camp really was.

“I thought it was quite telling that Klopp said his team didn't listen to his preparations,” Neville said.

“We know Liverpool aren't good enough in defence or with the goalkeeper. I half expect that but what I also expect is their energy. With a two-week break, what were they doing in La Manga?