Two players have to start against Atalanta - Liverpool have nothing left to lose - John Aldridge

Liverpool continue to be let down by their finishing. I’ve said it a few times over the last few weeks and can’t say anymore than what I’ve already said.

The proof is in the pudding when you see the amount of attempts on goal they’ve had. It’s ridiculous how few goals they’ve scored. Teams at the bottom of the table struggle because of that, and their conversion rate would be better!

The one good thing is we are creating the chances. It’s when you’re not creating chances that it’s even more of a concern.

As I said last week, you can ask Rushie or Robbie (Fowler), from a striker’s point of view, it’s so frustrating to see miss after miss after miss.

Liverpool had at least six top, top scoring opportunities. Six! And most of them weren’t even difficult.

We’re not finding the corners. I’ve said before, you’ve got to find the corners. You don’t hit the goalkeeper. You don’t just smash it.

They need composure because of the position they’re in, the pressure is on. But they’re snatching at it and we’ve seen it since the FA Cup game. We battered a team and just couldn’t take our chances.

I’ve been involved in loads of games like that, it happens. But it’s every week at the moment, chances are going begging.

All they need is the shooting conversion rate to start looking a hell of a lot better. It’s not good and it tells a story.

The strikers have got to start believing in themselves. They can score goals, all of them, they’re all goalscorers. They’ve got to believe that they can.

When they start to get one or two, they’ll start taking more of their chances. It’s a confidence thing and at the moment they don’t have any. That has to change.

I’m repeating myself here because I’ve been saying this week after week. The strikers aren’t in form and it’s playing on their minds at the worst time for Liverpool.

What the strikers have got to do now is keep on getting in the positions. Don’t be scared of getting in the box because you’re missing chances. Keep on getting in there.

It’s like waiting for a bus, soon three will come at once! And there is no better time for that than against Atalanta.

Gakpo and Jota have to start

Cody Gakpo has looked really lively the last few games. The pressure has been on the forwards and will be again against Atalanta.

Jota needs a game so I’d start him, and I’d start Gakpo as well. He deserves it. With one other, any of the other three. That’s what I’d do.

You don’t become a bad team overnight. We will go there and create at least four top chances. If we take them all, it’s game on.

There would be no better medicine to get us going than going to Atalanta and going through. That would be such a tonic, but it’s easier said than done. We’ve put ourselves in a dilemma.

It’s not impossible and they’ve got to believe that. They’ve got to get a clean sheet and they’ve got to create opportunities. You never know, something might just happen for us.

Obviously, the defending has to be better too, we know that. If you don’t keep clean sheets, you don’t win games all the time. And that’s what we don’t do.

Nothing to lose

They’ve got to pick themselves up and they’ve got nothing to lose now, starting from Thursday. There’s nothing to lose so just go for it. Believe and go for it.

If it was at home, I’d believe a lot more. But it’s away from home. We have beaten teams 3-0 away from home before though. And better teams than Atalanta too, with all due respect to them.

That’s what they’ve got to do. They’ve got to go there and be positive. Be positive and believe you can do it. If we take our chances, we might be in with a shout. Anything is possible, even though it is a massive ask.

If we take our chances in the first half, we’ll soon sow a seed of doubt in their minds. Do they come out and attack or sit back on a 3-0 lead? It’ll be interesting.