Allez! Allez!! Allez!!! These are indeed the words on every Liverpool fan’s lips for the past couple of weeks. 16 games into the season and the Merseyside club has scored the most goals (36) and conceded the least (15) among all the clubs in the English Premier League. And as expected, they are sitting on top of the table with a 3-point lead over 2nd placed rivals Arsenal.
The fact that Jurgen Klopp’s side is currently number 1 is kind of an irony especially when you take into consideration how they’ve been on the receiving end of some very controversial VAR decisions, most notably in their matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton.
Liverpool truly has all the cause for celebration.
Despite a very poor run of form last season in which they even failed to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, it is evident to all that the Reds are very strong favorites to win the title this season.
What a turnaround!
Arsenal too are strong favourites this time again. However, what separates them from Liverpool is the fact that they have not shown they have the mentality to remain incredibly consistent across all 38 games. This is obvious because in January 2022 Mikel Arteta’s side had an eight-point lead over Manchester City and somehow still didn’t win the league (Manchester City won it). You will need a strong mentality if you are aiming to snatch the league title from Pep Guardiola’s side and this is something Jurgen Klopp’s side has in abundance.
The chase for the Premier League title is not a race but rather a marathon, and a very long one at that. Liverpool has started the season on the best possible foot, despite being hamstrung by very controversial VAR decisions on a few occasions. Manchester City, the three-time reigning champions have been on a very poor run of form by their standards for almost 2 months now but they are by no means whatsoever out of the title race.
There is still a long way to go and what Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp does or does not do in January will ultimately decide whether they win the league or not.
Let me explain:
Liverpool will be without star player Mo Salah for about a month because of AFCON
Since Jurgen Klopp recruited Salah to Liverpool over 6 years ago, he has been a gift that keeps on giving. This season, he is currently tied with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland for most goal involvements (18).
Unfortunately, Jurgen Klopp will have to do without his star man for about a month as he goes to represent his country in AFCON. Liverpool certainly will find it difficult to replace Mo Salah during this period. With him gone and Diogo Jota currently injured, their attack will be stretched thin come January. To maintain their title charge, the Reds have to sign a forward player in this January transfer window.
Some Liverpool players are very unlucky with injuries
One of the major reasons for Liverpool’s abysmal form last season was that players like Luis Diaz, Naby Keita, Chamberlain, Matip, and Diogo Jota were sidelined for a very long time. Naby Keita and Chamberlain left Anfield in the summer. Currently, the Reds are on a good run of form but the injury crisis at Liverpool has reared its head again.
Robertson has been sidelined for over a month, Diogo Jota has a hamstring injury and given how unlucky the striker is with injuries, he could be out for a very long time. To crown it off, Matip is out for the season after tearing his ACL.
Liverpool have to sign two or three players in the January transfer window to maintain their charge for the title. What type of players need to be signed Klopp and the management know best but they need to bring in reinforcements to checkmate the injury crisis at the club.
Jurgen Klopp certainly made the right transfer decisions in the summer to rebuild his side into genuine title contenders. He pretty much let go of all his midfield players (including both captain and vice-captain) and brought in fresh blood like World Cup winner Alexis MacAllister, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo, and Dominik Szoboszlai. The dividends of this decision are already paying off as guess who’s currently number 1 on the table? That’s right, it’s Liverpool.
January will be the make-or-break period with regards to the Reds winning the Premier League title. Should Jurgen Klopp bring in the right reinforcements, it might require destiny and fate itself to prevent his side from securing it.
Manchester City are a relentless side. Very relentless. The Liverpool boss must also ensure he gets his tactical decisions spot on to ward off his fierce rivals and possibly also Arsenal. This is what cost him the title in the 2018/19 season. Despite securing 97 points, Liverpool still lost the title to the Cityzens who had 98 points (once again, Pep Guardiola’s side are indeed very ruthless!). Two matches that season cost Liverpool the title: the goalless draws against Everton and Manchester United. The Merseyside club could have easily won both those games provided Klopp made the right substitutions on time but alas he didn’t.
Regardless of how this season turns out there’s no doubt it will be one for the ages. We are most likely going to witness a three-way title race, something we haven’t seen in a very long time.
There are still 22 matches to be played before the season ends and there’s no doubt we’re going to witness a lot of breathtaking events with regard to the race for the number 1 position because that is the hallmark of the English Premier League!
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
