With a resounding 3-1 win at Anfield today over Manchester City, Liverpool FC are firmly in the driver’s seat of the 2019-2020 Premier League title race. The win brought them eight points clear of second place Leicester City and third place Chelsea heading into the international break.
They are an even more astounding nine points ahead of reigning back-to-back champions Manchester City. Without a doubt, it’s their title to lose now. Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho believes that Liverpool will take the title now, barring some kind of serious injury crisis.
“From my position, I think it’s done unless something, something dramatic happens in terms of an injury situation that breaks the team,” said Mourinho, who won the League title three times with Chelsea while doing punditry work for Sky Sports earlier today.
He also guided United to a runners-up finish in 2017-18.
“I think this Liverpool team… it’s adapted to the quality of the players and the puzzle is complete. City are capable of winning seven, eight, nine in a row, but I can’t see how Liverpool can lose this advantage.”
If the Liverpool can finally claim the title, it would be their first of the Premier League era. Their last top flight title came way back in 1990, and they had some near misses last year and in 2013-14. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp says his side isn’t feeling any pressure, despite the high stakes.
“We don’t feel the pressure, to be 100 percent honest,” the German said after the huge win today.
“Where is the pressure? Look, the things will come up now, we know that, and if you are with us you say, ‘Wow, nine points.’ There is a long way to go and lose here a point, lose there a point and stuff like this, what will probably happen.”
“Other people 100 percent said already from now on Liverpool can only lose it, but that’s a very negative approach.”
“You can see it like this, but we don’t care. I promise you we don’t care. We were today completely focused on this game and not the situation in the table or whatever, how many points we are ahead of City,” Klopp continued.
“That’s crazy. Nine points, you cannot imagine that something like this happens, but it is not important because who wants to be first in early November?
“We want to be first in May and not only in November. We all know that, but we don’t have to say that because it is clear. We just try what we can and in the end we will see what happens. The pressure or whatever is not there yet.
“Maybe it will come or whatever, but in the moment it is just opportunity and go for it, do the work, throw all in what you have and then let’s see what happens.”
And Reds club legend Graeme Souness says the odds are really in the favor of his former club now. Like Mourinho, he believes that a rash of severe injuries is the only thing that can stop them.
“What could go wrong? Injuries to key players,” he said on Sky Sports.
“To be at their best they all have to be high energy. Injuries would hurt them. When you don’t get much rest between matches you can get muscle injuries. This period is vital for them. I would suggest that might be an issue going forward.”
Liverpool finished second last season to City, but this was despite the fact that they accumulated the third most single season points in Premier League history.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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