ClapDespite what many may have been led to believe, this Premier League title race isn’t going to be a one-sided affair with Liverpool running away as champions. That happened last season, but this time around, the injuries seem to have caught up with Jurgen Klopp’s men in a big way.
We aren’t going to pretend like that’s the only factor behind their struggles because there have been some tactical mistakes along the way, but for whatever reason, they just haven’t been able to build the sort of lead that gives fans confidence heading into the new year.
They’re still top of the table and that probably isn’t going to change over the course of the next few weeks – but in the months to come there is going to be an awful lot of adversity falling directly into the lap of Liverpool Football Club.
Not being able to beat the teams who are swimming around in the relegation battle has been one sin they can’t seem to shake off, but you also have to give some sort of recognition to their closest challengers.
The funny thing is that they’ve also had their own setbacks which have left them trailing Liverpool in the table itself, and yet, we still think there’s a route to the trophy for them – and by them, we mean the following three teams, because we just can’t picture Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea maintaining their consistency for long enough to challenge.
Manchester United
We don’t want to speak too soon here, but it does feel as if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is beginning to really settle into his role as Manchester United manager. It’s taken him long enough to get here, but perhaps his supporters were right in insisting that all he needed was more time.
The team is still very much in the developmental stage, but they’re starting to fly under the radar and that’s the best position imaginable for them. Whether or not they can keep up the pace is a different conversation for a different day.
Manchester City
Just because City have had a few questionable results doesn’t mean they aren’t still going to be in the hunt by the time April rolls around – far from it, in fact.
Pep Guardiola is more than happy to sit back, take his time and really analyze what’s going on around him. There is an ongoing shift in the perception of what he can and cannot accomplish, and writing his team off would be one hell of a mistake at this stage in proceedings.
Everton
Everton Football Club are genuine contenders in the top four race and it feels odd to be saying that after so many years of mediocrity. Not since the days of David Moyes have we seen the Toffees rise up like this, and that’s a testament to what Carlo Ancelotti has done thus far at Goodison Park.
There’s a long way to go before they start to challenge for the crown in the city of Liverpool, but this is a pretty solid starting point.
