Gab & Juls make their picks of the best football managers as we enter the mid-season period. (1:20)
LIVERPOOL, England – We whisper it quietly, but in the stands at Anfield we are starting to do it. In the final minutes of Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Leicester City, cries of “Liverpool, the smartest in the league” can be heard from the Kop, and the feeling that Arne Slot’s team is in the right way to achieve something special. This season is strong. growth.
Before kick-off, highlights from the final Boxing Day meeting between those two groups were shown on screens outside the stadium. Liverpool’s dominance here in 2019 was such that Jürgen Klopp would later describe the match as his team’s greatest performance in the Premier League, with two goals from Roberto Firmino and a goal from James Milner and Trent Alexander-Arnold respectively. helping the Reds. to a resounding 4-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.
That win saw Liverpool move thirteen points up the table, with Leicester at the time as their closest rival, and certainly marked Klopp’s appearance as selected champions. When Premier League football came to a halt due to the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March 2020, Liverpool had 25 transparent things at most, with only one defeat and one draw in 27 league games.
Despite their brilliance, Slot’s team hasn’t reached those dizzying heights this season, but the inconsistency of their rivals means they don’t have to. Unlike past seasons where Manchester City’s relentlessness demanded near perfection from any contender for the crown, it is Liverpool who are setting the tone in this name race.
City’s 1-1 draw with Everton on Thursday afternoon left Pep Guardiola’s side 11 points adrift of the top spot, having played two games more than Slot’s side. Chelsea’s last-gasp defeat to Fulham later in the afternoon presented Liverpool with a further opportunity to establish themselves as title favourites.
It is an opportunity that they have seized, if not with both hands, then with enough conviction to suggest that they are the team to beat right now, both locally and in Europe, with a victory that gives them a seven-point lead. in the classification. at the most sensible part of the table with a game in hand.
Leicester are admittedly not as formidable a foe as they were in 2019. They had won just one game in 10 heading into Thursday night’s clash on Merseyside and had not won at Liverpool’s home stadium since March 2000.
Still, Slot had mentioned the risks of underestimating any Premier League opponent in his pre-match press conference and his words seemed prescient when Jordan Ayew fired past Leicester six minutes later. The goal was overwhelmingly against the flow of play, with Mohamed Salah having noticed an attempted collision against the post minutes earlier, but it was a clever finish from Leicester’s number 18, which caught the attention of Andy Robertson to turn and insert himself with calm. Ahead of Alisson Becker after a wonderful run down the left. Stephy Mavididi.
Liverpool continued to rack up the chances as they pursued an equaliser, with first Robertson and then Salah hitting the woodwork. But Slot’s side seemed to lack the attacking fluency they had exhibited in abundance in their swashbuckling win over Tottenham at the weekend, while Leicester continued to threaten on the break.
However, one thing Liverpool are becoming increasingly adept at under Slot is finding ways to win, and this time it fell to Cody Gakpo to set the wheels in motion for a comeback. The Dutchman curled home a sublime effort from distance to restore parity on the stroke of half-time.
If the best time to score is just before the break, then finding the back of the net shortly after the restart must surely come a close second, and that is precisely what Liverpool did, taking the lead through Curtis Jones just four minutes into the second half. The midfielder applied the finishing touch to a spell of intense pressure from the hosts, diverting the ball past Premier League debutant Jakub Stolarczyk after a drilled pass from Alexis Mac Allister.
After the goal was shown after a lengthy review via video assistant referee (VAR), Liverpool’s celebrations were able to begin in earnest. The Kop sang a catchy Christmas carol chorus “O Come All Ye Faithful”, asking global observers to “come”. and see” the appearance of Slot.
Such adulation fits into the soundtrack of Liverpool’s season. The hosts thought they had made it 3-1 when Gakpo returned home after a deflected exit by Salah, but further VAR scrutiny resulted in Darwin Nunez, who had a difficult night, being flagged for offside. accumulation.
Just when it looked like Liverpool were going to end the game nervously, Salah scored his 19th goal of the season to add even more shine to what has already been a great individual campaign. The importance of making sure he stays at Anfield beyond the expiry of his contract next summer seems to be intensifying as the weeks go by.
At the final whistle, Slots’ celebrations were silenced and the Liverpool manager was quick to emphasize the importance of keeping his feet on the ground, even as his team’s march towards the name accelerates.
“It’s a bit boring and as a coach you go game after game, you know how many games you have to play,” the Dutchman said after the game when asked if his team was in pole position to win the championship.
“There are many groups with a lot of quality. If that had happened in the Eredivisie, I would say it’s true. “
While Liverpool fans know full well that being in the most sensible place at the table at Christmas does not translate into winning titles in the spring, it is difficult to escape the feeling that winning the club’s 20th league title is a achievable perspective this season.
Slot’s team were not at their best against Leicester but, as they endured the check in the thick fog of Merseyaspect on Boxing Day, their prestige as favorites is clearer than ever.