Liverpool FC: Are the Reds Going to Finish the Season in the Bottom Half?

Liverpool are a club that in recent years have thrived upon a challenge.

Their reputation as giants of the world of European football is indisputable, showing time and time again their class and ability to win against the odds.

When former player and manager Kenny Dalglish returned to Anfield last winter, many fans saw it as the second coming of Liverpool's chosen son.

Initially this optimism seemed justified, as "King Kenny" turned around what had been a season which had seen Pool sit in the bottom three of the table after 10 matches.

Kenny took Liverpool to the lofty heights of seventh, missing out narrowly on the Europa League places.

However, this campaign—particularly the second half of it—has seen Liverpool go on one of the worst runs in the history of the club.

Coming into today's game against struggling Aston Villa, Pool had taken a measly three points from their last seven outings.

Despite this, expectations were high for Pool to end the rot and bounce back to some kind of form.

In reality, Villa took the lead after just 10 minutes of play and managed to hold on until as late as the 82nd minute, when Luis Suarez got on the end of a Steven Gerrard cross to level things at one apiece.

The game ended at 1-1, and although breaking the three-match losing streak that Pool had been on took no pressure away from Dalglish or the Liverpool players.

Thankfully, due to a stark contrast in form in the two English Cup competitions, Pool have already secured themselves a Europa League slot, defeating Cardiff City on penalties in the Carling Cup final at Wembley.

They also have the chance to do the English double, with an FA cup semifinal against bitter rivals Everton fast-approaching.

But will Liverpool end outside of the top 10 in the Premier League for the first time since its creation 20 years ago?

At the start of the season, it would have seemed like a foolish thought to be conceiving, but recent results have made it a legitimate threat.

Liverpool's remaining fixtures are as follows:

1. Blackburn (A)
2. West Brom (H)
3. Norwich (A)
4. Fulham (H)
5. Chelsea (H)
6. Swansea (A)

Although a set of matches that most seasons would provide little trouble for the Reds, the way things have been going this year, we could see a very different story.

Still, if things play out as expected in those matches, Pool would end the season on roughly 53-55 points.

Thankfully for them, this is a number that would more than likely secure them eighth position at the very least.

But should a club like Liverpool, one of such history and pride, really be settling for coming eighth in a division that they so often dominated in the 70s and 80s?

And what is to blame for this sudden extreme dip in form? Is King Kenny really an impostor to the crown or is it Liverpool's new breed of players failing the Liver Bird that they wear emblazoned on their chest?

Whatever the case, Liverpool need to make changes soon or they run the very real risk of losing that pedigree they once fought so hard to achieve.