Liverpool: Eight points clear at the top, is it finally their year?
Nine short words out of Sky Sports Gary Neville to strike both fear and delight to the hearts of Liverpool fans:I do not believe they could lose it from here.
Following a dramatic weekend of Premier League action, headlined on Saturday night from the European champions last-gasp success over Leicester but overtaken on Sunday from Manchester Citys shock defeat to Wolves, Liverpool enter the worldwide break not only as league leaders but also as favourites to complete the season as winners of England – a standing which has eluded Anfield for thirty long years.
Its a position of prominence that at once is the stuff of fantasies for Liverpool fans but also a possible nightmare for seven months that are anxious.
Neville might have been that the name cant be lost by Liverpool out of here. The reality is that they may – and should they do, they may never live it down.
Liverpool are definitely big favorites, however when Van Dijk gets hurt, or Salah gets injured it can change, said Neville. Theres thirty games to move.
My schooling in football is take nothing for granted, agreed fellow Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness.
And rocked to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones in the wake of Vincent Kompanys summer departure, maintain their star guys fit.
Its been the ideal weekend, so it will not get any better if youre a Liverpool fan, summarised Jamie Redknapp. Its Liverpools to lose. They have just got to keep their heads.
Theyve been through this before with Brendan Rodgers and final year believing it would be their first year. 30 years is a very long time. I think if they keep their minds, keep Van Dijk, keep Mo Salah fit – I do believe its Liverpools year
Except that Liverpools year could nevertheless only another year, or following May to be exact, and also the still-long road to his first league title since 1990 remains littered with possible pitfalls, beginning with a visit to Manchester United on Sunday October 20, live on Sky Sports, when the Celtics season resumes in 2 weeks time.
As much as United are at a challenging moment, its one of the toughest games, said Neville. Subsequently Liverpool confront City in a couple weeks as well. Liverpool have games coming up that they could drop points in – they may not.
City have stress in their own to compete. The shock reduction to a Wolves side which start the weekend at the relegation zone exerts the scale of their defensive difficulties and occurred just 3 weeks at second-from-bottom Norwich City after an loss. If Liverpool do not know whether to observe or worry, City only have problems to stress about having a few solutions at January.
City are not appropriate, starkly concluded Neville to a gloomy afternoon for both the blue and red sides of Manchester. Theyve put such a high standard and the rear four is not right. Theyre conceding opportunities and they just didnt concede chances last year. Theyre not like they were.
They set such a high quality and Liverpool matched that regular this past year, barring a hairs diameter, if City fall below that. Not substituting the injury and Kompany is a large problem for them. They seem vulnerable. They have not demonstrated vulnerability for a couple of years and people will think they are.
City are damaged, added Souness. If you return to last game of this season if they won the jackpot in Brighton, theyre 3 centre-backs down that day.
Im sorry but Otamendi and Fernandinho? Youll get away with it against lesser teams but he belongs to floor so readily, if Otamendi gets one off against Wolves striker. That is going to cost them. Now it cost them it cost them. Theyre in a place that is difficult.
Liverpool just have to continue to keep their nerve.
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