In this piece, News Manager, Ufuoma Egbamuno explains why Liverpool may have one hand on the Premier League after just 13 games.
Sunday evening at Anfield was glorious if you were a Liverpool fan. It was the perfect end to a week where Liverpool answered all the questions asked of them.
The week started with playing the bottom club of the Premier League – Southampton. And if you didn’t watch the game, you wouldn’t appreciate how the Anfield Giants came back from a poor first half and 2-1 down in the second, to earn a deserved 3-2 win.
And then the European Champions came along.
They too were swept away with so much ease you’d think Liverpool played against cannon fodders.
The ultimate final question was facing the Premier League Champions, Manchester City and boy was that a dream finale to end the week?
It should have been four, five, never mind six.
Such was Arne Slot’s team’s dominance in the game that a win never looked in doubt from the first minute.
The result means Liverpool are a whopping 11 points ahead of their biggest rival, at least on paper, City, and nine ahead of the most possible challenger going by form, Arsenal.
That’s an amazing place to be if you’re a Liverpool fan.
As an Arsenal, I’d give an arm to be where you are, and I can’t even hide the jealousy I feel right now.
At the start of the season, only a hardened Liverpool would have predicted the outcome we now have after one-third of the Premier League fixtures.
For most people, after two seasons of near misses, the Gunners looked primed to take advantage of the Citizens slipping up.
For me, I was very certain this season would be the one Arsenal finally overcame the 20-year hoodoo. Either playing on the field or via the courts, I had the feeling Arsenal would win the title this season.
But such is the beauty of football that a Liverpool team I expected to slightly challenge for the title but ultimately fall short and end up finishing third, are not only the league leaders, but some might say, have one hand on the PL crown.
Surely, it’s Liverpool’s title to lose from here on, yeah?
You can say they’ve been fortunate to come up against teams at their lowest – City, Madrid, Arsenal and on Wednesday, Newcastle without their star man, Alexander Isak.
You may not be entirely wrong, but the truth is, you only beat what is in front of you and Liverpool have done that efficiently.
In Mo Salah, Liverpool have a match-winner who can have a poor game and still come up with a goal and an assist like he did at the Emirates this season.
In Virgil van Dyk, the Anfield Giants have unarguably, not just the best defender, but arguably, the best player in the Premier League this season. He was that good against City, he could have had a hat-trick.
And boy, did you see that pass from Trent Alexander Arnold in the build-up to the first goal?
Damn, it was glorious!
This core, plus goalkeeper Allison, defender Robertson and the brilliance of Cody Gakpo, Luiz Diaz, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister can be the fulcrum Liverpool needs to go on another solo run like they did just four years ago.
And in a new manager, Slot, they have a winner who though inherited a team that challenged for the title a few months before his appointment, has tweaked that team and made it his own.
The chaos of Jurgen Klopp is gone. And its place, you have a mixture of the pressing we are accustomed to and control we didn’t see much of under Jurgen.
That’s a deadly combo as Premier League and European teams have found out so far.
For the chasing pack, Arsenal, City (and maybe Chelsea?), every game they play now is a must-not-drop-points encounter. And that is a pressure very few can deal with.
However, with at least 25 more games still to play, it is not a deal done yet.
Just as no one saw this title charge and points gap for Liverpool coming, we just cannot predict what next will happen.
A two-match winless run with rivals getting maximum points in the same breath is enough to change what seemingly looks like a comfortable position.
What if the imperious VVD gets injured?
And if Mo Salah goes on a drought as he did between January and May this year, which ultimately dented Liverpool’s title dreams last season, can the Slot machine cope?
We’d just have to wait and see.
BEST OF THE REST – LIFE IS EVERYTHING
The scenes at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on Sunday sent shock waves around the world as Fiorentina midfielder, Edoardo Bove collapsed.
I wasn’t watching the game live, but I have seen videos of his collapse, and I won’t lie, I still feel the tremors even as I type this.
It was scary.
Thank goodness that he is "awake" and "alert" as confirmed by his club, Fiorentina and any tragedy was averted.
Just a few months ago, a similar incident happened with Ivorian, Evan Ndicka, in a game involving Roma and Udinese that saw the player collapse and rushed to the hospital.
Seeing these things happen is a reminder to us all how fickle life can be and the need to always go through routine medical checkups.
ATALANTA ARE THE REAL DEAL
Monday night’s hard-fought 2-0 win against Roma is Atalanta’s eighth straight win on the bounce.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side is now one point behind league leaders, Napoli.
Are you thinking what I am thinking?
Winning the Europa League this year may have come like a miracle, but surely, the Italian side looks well placed to go on a title run as they do have a better squad depth.
While the Premier League title looks like it may end this December, the real battle is in Italy where only six points separate the Top 6.
Both Fiorentina and Inter have played a game less and a win for either of them will see one team also go a point behind Napoli.
Long may this continue is all I can say for now.
BETTING SHAMBLES
Barcelona lost, at home.
Sporting lost, again, at home.
Galatasaray drew, also at home.
This is all you need to know that it was not a great betting weekend even as Brighton started it off on Friday night, unable to beat Premier League bottom club, Southampton.
Anyway, that’s all gone now.
We have midweek games coming up and here are some picks I have:
Mallorca vs Barca – Away win or Ov 2.5
Sparta Prague vs MFK Karvina – Home win
Bayern vs Leverkusen – Ov 1.5 (you could do GG too)
Milan vs Sassuolo – Ov 1.5
Leicester vs West Ham – Ov 1.5
Southampton vs Chelsea – Ov 2.5
Arsenal vs Man Utd. – Ov 1.5
Man. City vs Forest – Home or Ov 2.5.
Alright guys, that will be all from me. I’ll be back on Monday.
