This week is set to be a monumental one for Liverpool, as they face three huge tests in quick succession. Saturday sees them take on Manchester City, followed by Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of eight days. To stay in the fight for the top four, the Reds must win at least two of these games. Surprisingly, Liverpool have done better against the top teams than any other this season, which backs up my theory about their struggles this season.
At the start of the campaign, it felt like Liverpool had a little bit of a hangover from missing out on two of the big trophies last May. This was understandable, as they were so close to achieving greatness. However, I was more concerned that a lot of the players did not have real competition for their places, leading to complacency setting in. Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier used to talk to me about the ‘comfort zone’ that players can fall into when they start believing their own hype. All the best teams need reinvention, as Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola have proved.
Liverpool have not been near their usual levels this season and there is more to this than just complacency. Injuries have not helped and there has been a lack of confidence from the team due to not getting the expected results earlier on. However, their record against the better teams confirms it has been more of a mind-set issue than a physical problem or a lack of quality. Whenever they have had focus, they have got results. They have beaten City, United and Newcastle home and away – no-one else has managed that.
Liverpool won’t really care who wins the title now as they are focused on making the top four. However, they have a big say in who becomes champions and could take points off both City and Arsenal. City are still breathtaking at times but have not been as smooth or easy on the eye as in previous seasons. Going to Etihad Stadium and winning is a big ask – Liverpool have not done that in the league since Pep Guardiola arrived at City in 2016 – but if Mohamed Salah plays as well as he did in the 7-0 win against United, it won’t be easy for Nathan Ake to stop him.
This could be an amazing week for Liverpool but, whatever happens, it will be pivotal. Lose all three games and their top-four hopes are over, which would quickly confirm to the owners they have a lot of work to do. But if they can stay in the race for the Champions League places and sneak in at the last minute, there’s a chance Klopp may not get the same backing in the transfer market as he would if they don’t get in. I am sure Liverpool’s owners aren’t naive enough to think they can get away with not investing in the squad in the summer, even if they do make the top four, but if that happens there could be a train of thought that the run-in proved the squad is actually pretty good and the team is back on track.
This week is set to be a crucial one for Liverpool, as they face three huge tests in quick succession. Saturday sees them take on Manchester City, followed by Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of eight days. To stay in the fight for the top four, the Reds must win at least two of these games. Surprisingly, Liverpool have done better against the top teams than any other this season, which backs up my theory about their struggles this season. At the start of the campaign, it felt like Liverpool had a little bit of a hangover from missing out on two of the big trophies last May. This was understandable, as they were so close to achieving greatness. However, I was more concerned that a lot of the players did not have real competition for their places, leading to complacency setting in.
Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier used to talk to me about the ‘comfort zone’ that players can fall into when they start believing their own hype. All the best teams need reinvention, as Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola have proved. Liverpool have not been near their usual levels this season and there is more to this than just complacency. Injuries have not helped and there has been a lack of confidence from the team due to not getting the expected results earlier on. However, their record against the better teams confirms it has been more of a mind-set issue than a physical problem or a lack of quality. Whenever they have had focus, they have got results.
Liverpool won’t really care who wins the title now as they are focused on making the top four. However, they have a big say in who becomes champions and could take points off both City and Arsenal. City are still breathtaking at times but have not been as smooth or easy on the eye as in previous seasons. Going to Etihad Stadium and winning is a big ask – Liverpool have not done that in the league since Pep Guardiola arrived at City in 2016 – but if Mohamed Salah plays as well as he did in the 7-0 win against United, it won’t be easy for Nathan Ake to stop him.
This could be an amazing week for Liverpool but, whatever happens, it will be pivotal. Lose all three games and their top-four hopes are over, which would quickly confirm to the owners they have a lot of work to do. But if they can stay in the race for the Champions League places and sneak in at the last minute, there’s a chance Klopp may not get the same backing in the transfer market as he would if they don’t get in. I am sure Liverpool’s owners aren’t naive enough to think they can get away with not investing in the squad in the summer, even if they do make the top four, but if that happens there could be a train of thought that the run-in proved the squad is actually pretty good and the team is back on track. This week is set to be crucial for Liverpool’s future success – let’s see what happens!