by One can only imagine the emotions that went through Jürgen Klopp when, as he probably did, he sat down and watched Manchester City’s victory at Newcastle last Saturday. There may have been joy in taking in the best game of the season, but also, no doubt, a sense of deja vu when City clinched victory in such impressive, relentless style.
Many teams have been tormented by City’s state-funded brilliance under Pep Guardiola but few have felt the pain like Liverpool, especially during the 2018-19 and 2021-22 campaigns when they collected huge sums of points – 97 and 92 respectively – but the title could not be won yet. In the one season they reigned, 2019-20, Covid struck, making the moment Liverpool got their hands on the trophy odd and terrifying.
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It was still a title win, ending 30 years of injury, and for Liverpool there is a chance to be champions again. They return from their winter break for a trip to Bournemouth on Sunday evening at the top of the Premier League with less than half of the campaign remaining. Their eyes are on the prize, but there are concerns – City are two points behind them in second place after winning their six games in all competitions with Kevin De Bruyne back from injury and Erling Haaland set to return soon . It all looks very respectful of Klopp and his men.
This does not add to Liverpool’s cause that they are not as good now as they were in previous years when they fought with City for the title. That is hardly a criticism, however, given the standards set at the time, and it is a credit to all concerned that in mid-January they are not only capable of winning the title but also three other odds due to last season’s misery. . The Klopp era was due but instead the German renewed his squad in terms of personnel, hunger and focus, and got the train moving again. And they are like a train – winning 13 of their 20 league games so far this season and losing just one, to Away game at Tottenham.
An integral part of Liverpool’s success is the contribution of the four players in the spine: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah. All members of the 2019-20 title-winning side have high-level experience associated with top-level performances. Salah has been outstanding, scoring 18 goals and providing nine assists in 27 games in all competitions. His absence from Africa Cup of Nations duties is a blow for Liverpool and could be exacerbated by the injury he suffered while playing for Egypt against Ghana on Thursday. “It was a shock,” Klopp said the following morning. “He felt it and we all know how rarely Mo goes, so it’s definitely something.” Liverpool received good news on Friday evening when the Egyptian Football Association announced that Salah is likely to miss his country’s next two matches, and the last-16 trophy if they go that far.
Alexander-Arnold is also out with a knee injury, although he is expected to return soon and, going well, the 25-year-old will continue to be the creative heartbeat alongside his sensational passing abilities. from hybrid full-. back/midfield position. Meanwhile, Van Dijk is back to being an expensive full-back and Alisson is still doing Alisson things. The Brazilian is simply the best goalkeeper in the country, if not the world.
In general, Liverpool were very good in both boxes. Along with Van Dijk and Alisson, 20-year-old Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah are all central to the team that had the best defense in the league, as did Joël Matip before the knee injury which he achieved at the end of the season. the 4-3 win over Fulham last month, and the five forwards in attack contributed to the team’s success. In fact, in five of the 31 games that Liverpool have played in all competitions this season, Salah, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Cody Gakpo have not scored. If someone doesn’t get you…
No discussion of Liverpool’s attack is complete without mentioning Núñez, who continues to share opinions like perhaps no other player in Liverpool’s history. But what is indisputable is that the Uruguayan has made an impact with his relentless work rate and smart, unselfish movement – he is fifth in the league in expected non-penalty goals and assisted goals: 12.8 – and if the person is 24 years old. finding a way to take more of the chances that come his way could legitimately be what takes Liverpool to the title.
What they could be missing is the midfield. The balance is not right since Fabinho failed to properly replace him in the summer, leaving Alexis McAllister playing mostly as a No.6 since arriving from Brighton in June. The Argentine is not in the best position, something that has been revealed during the campaign and could be the case again in the coming months. Meanwhile, fellow summer recruit Dominik Szoboszlai has fallen short after an impressive start to his Liverpool career, while Ryan Gravenberch has only occasionally impressed since joining from Bayern Munich in the month of September.
All that being said, Liverpool’s midfield is undoubtedly performing with a level of athleticism, aggression, quality and cohesion that was sorely absent last year, with no one affecting that more than Curtis Jones. The 22-year-old is a very reliable presence on the ball – his pass completion rate for the season stands at 91.6% – and is also often the man who initiates Liverpool’s press. Calling up the boy from Toxteth would make Klopp’s side a bit strong, but he’s getting there.
Wataru Endo also contributed to Liverpool’s improvement in midfield after initially struggling following his arrival from Stuttgart in August and was starting to look like the answer to the No. 1 problem. 6 except when the Japanese captain left for the Asian Cup to halt that progress. His absence, along with Salah’s, as well as injuries to several players, had come at a bad time for Klopp in view of the games ahead; after facing Bournemouth, they host another in-form Chelsea side before traveling to fellow title contenders Arsenal. Fulham meanwhile have a Carabao Cup semi-final to navigate, as well as an FA Cup quarter-final against Norwich. The next fortnight is a busy, testing period for Liverpool and, for the title, it could prove to be make or break, especially given City’s relatively benign schedule during the same period.
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On the positive side, Andrew Robertson is close to returning after being sidelined with a shoulder injury since mid-October and, more broadly, there seems to be more room for drop points in the this campaign due to the improved competitiveness of the league. City are set to finish with 82 points, although their record of long winning runs in the second half of seasons suggests they will end up with more.
All Liverpool can do is win their games, especially the one against City at Anfield in early March. They are certainly doing enough at the moment, with Klopp not only improving his squad but also rotating it to a level that would suggest he recognized exhaustion as the reason his team came up short. last time they got a shot at four world cups. into a season. Before this weekend, eight Liverpool players had completed over 1,000 league minutes this campaign, fewer than all their title rivals; City (11), Aston Villa (10), Arsenal (10) and Tottenham (10).
The first of those is still the winning team, though, and Liverpool know that better than anyone. For bad omens all they have to do is remember their last day in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons. In both cases it was Wolves at home. Liverpool’s final this season? Wolves at home.
