Although the majority of football twitter has united in waging against the possibility of Liverpool winning the league, there are still some neutrals who are truly in their favour. Today, I’ve put aside my Arsenal bias and gone into depth as to why Liverpool deserve to win the English Premier League.
One Loss
How unbelievable would it be for a team that’s only lost one game all season, to somehow not win the league! The Reds are literally on course to finish on 97 points, however, if Manchester City win their remaining games, they will retain their title.
Meaning Liverpool could finish on the highest points tally ever for a 2nd placed side. The funny thing is, that one loss of the season came against Man City where the Champions narrowly scraped a 2-1 win at the Etihad. A match which saw Pep’s men put in a final worthy performance, ending the game with most of the team sitting behind the ball.
In contrast to Liverpool’s amazing one loss record, Manchester City have lost four games this season two more than they did last season. Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said a title-winning team cannot lose more three games in a campaign, Man City look set to break that unwritten rule. While if Liverpool were to win, it’d fit the form of previous title winners.
Long Overdue?
It’s quite amazing to think that a club the size of Liverpool has not won the Premier League since it was revamped in 1992. However, in that same time they’ve won the UEFA Champions League which makes you think, is it long overdue for the Reds to become English Champions?
It was in 2013 that Luis Suarez nearly took the Reds to the title, it was only an infamous Steven Gerrard slip that stopped them. Liverpool is the second most successful club in England and it’s about time they showed it again.
Best Defence = Best Team
One name: Virgil van Dijk. Since arriving in January last year, the Dutchman has completely transformed Liverpool’s defence. Jurgen Klopp’s back four was lacking cohesion, organisation and leadership, all traits the 27-year-old exudes on a daily basis. The Reds went from Dejan Lovren to Virgil van Dijk, I don’t think there’s ever been a bigger upgrade in the club’s history.
A few months later, Jurgen Klopp then made the astute signing of Alisson Becker. This season, the Reds have only conceded 20 goals, with Alisson leading the way for most clean sheets (18). Goals win you matches, while defences win you titles.
Two players on 20+ goals
Not only do the Reds have the best defence in the league, but they’re also the only team to have two players on 20+ goals. Simply put, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah have been world class this season. Despite many believing Salah hasn’t hit the heights of last season, he’s, in fact, channelled some of that goalscoring prowess into providing for others instead. Thus, allowing the team to now push towards a title challenge.
Between them, the duo has directly contributed to 50 goals, accounting for 59% of all the goals they’ve scored in the league this season. Even with their vast array of million-pound talent, Manchester City can’t boast the same.
