Fans can start to dream: Liverpool will win the Premier League title this season

Champions-elect: Liverpool will win the title this season
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
David Lynch20 January 2020

Even the most cautious supporters can no longer play it down: Liverpool are going to win the Premier League this season.

These fans have learned the hard way just how important it is not to get carried away when it comes to title races - those narrow misses of 2009 and 2014 still cut deep.

On both occasions, the Reds’ support declared “we’re gonna win the league” as the finish line neared and, on both occasions, they were proven wrong.

But if you can’t make such pompous proclamations when 16 points ahead with a game in hand on your nearest challengers, then when can you?

Thanks to the 21st win from their 22nd league game of the season, Liverpool now need 10 victories from their final 16 outings to mathematically guarantee the championship.

Reds' next 10 games

Wolves (A)
West Ham (A)
Southampton (H)
Norwich (A)
West Ham (H)
Watford (A)
Bournemouth (H)
Everton (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Man City (A)

Yet it is hard to imagine them needing that many points with Manchester City struggling for consistency all season.

And it is for that reason that Anfield couldn’t help but trot out a familiar refrain after Mohamed Salah had slipped the ball under David de Gea to put Manchester United to bed on Sunday.

Asked about the supporters’ new-found confidence in his post-match press conference, Jurgen Klopp replied: "They can sing that, they have sung that a couple of times in the past I think. l have no problem with that.

“Everyone should celebrate the situation, apart from us. Nothing has changed, same situation plus three points."

Of course, the identity of Sunday’s opponent had a lot to do with the home fans finally giving into the inevitability of Liverpool’s long-awaited success.

Getty Images

As the away support were only too happy to remind everybody, Manchester United remain the only team with a greater haul of league titles in English football than their hosts.

Unfortunately for those travelling fans, the deficit is certain to be cut to just one this May, and their supremacy now looks under real threat from the resurgent Reds.

This is a rivalry in which each club’s achievements are measured by the other’s - a fact that has led to comparisons between individual players becoming a prominent feature, particularly in the social media era.

But, with United already 30 points behind Liverpool so early in this campaign, attempts to spark such debates around the current squads look like folly.

In Pictures | Liverpool vs Manchester United | 19/01/2020

1/52

Take, for example, the world’s most expensive defender Harry Maguire, who was signed in the hope that he might emulate the transformation inspired by Virgil van Dijk at Anfield.

Here, the Englishman was fittingly overpowered by his opposite number as the hosts took the lead from a simple corner delivery early in the first half.

And how about Aaron Wan-Bissaka? The man some have hailed as an equal to Trent Alexander-Arnold but who has registered as many Premier League assists as Alisson Becker this season, eight fewer than Liverpool’s right-back.

Seven clean sheets in a row and a league table that shows just 14 goals conceded in 22 games shows that both men are better on the other side of the ball, too.

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

In front of that unrivalled defensive unit is an attack that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described as “direct” in thinly veiled post-match dig as he reflected on a painful defeat.

But, while that might have been the case on Sunday, the true beauty of this Liverpool team is that they can kill you in a number of ways.

Set-pieces, fast breaks, direct football, intricate passing - Jurgen Klopp has constructed a squad that has every facet of elite-level football in their locker.

And, while it may have taken a while for Liverpool fans to yield to the reality, that is exactly why their team will be champions this season.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in