The Premier League title race is beginning to resemble a blinking contest in which neither Manchester City nor Liverpool are willing to give up.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the league’s broadcasters have somehow duped us all into re-watching the finale to the 2018-19 season; then as now, both teams are refusing to give an inch to their rivals, by simply winning game after game, week after week.
On Saturday, both clubs spent time at the top of the table. Jurgen Klopp took a calculated risk with his team selection at St James’ Park, by removing Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Ibrahima Konate from his starting line-up.
Lesser squads would have crumbled against a Newcastle side that has won six on the spin at home, but not this Liverpool team, who held their nerve to earn a priceless 1-0 win thanks to Naby Keita’s first-half goal. It was a demonstration as if it were required, of the depth of quality that Klopp has at his disposal. No Salah? No problem was the message.
Premier League table
- Man City – Played 34, +63 GD, 83 pts
- Liverpool – Played 34, +64 GD, 82 pts
Klopp was quick to praise the performances of his stand-in players, in particular Joe Gomez, James Milner and the match-winner Keita, but his cheerful demeanour quickly shifted when asked whether the spotlight was now on Manchester City by BT Sport’s Des Kelly.
“No,” he snapped. “To Villarreal. They are 2-1 down, playing at the moment [against Alaves]. That’s what I’m interested in. I haven’t thought a second until now about City, but immediately about Villarreal.”
His spiky response belied a frustration that Liverpool’s results are undeniably entangled with Manchester City’s. Should Liverpool win their remaining four matches of the campaign, they will end with 94 points, a total that would have been sufficient to win the title in all but four seasons – one of which was won by Liverpool anyway in 2019-20 (with 99 points).
And yet, as was the case in 2018-19 when Liverpool earned what was then the third-highest tally in Premier League history of 97 points, it still might not be enough.
Man City’s remaining fixtures
- Newcastle (h) – Sun 8 May, 4.30pm
- Wolves (a) – Wed 11 May, 8.15pm
- West Ham (a) – Sun 15 May, 4.30pm
- Aston Villa (h) – Sun 22 May, 4pm
For Klopp and Guardiola, the focus is resolutely on what they can control, rather than what they cannot. Liverpool kept up their end of the bargain at St James’ Park and in doing so applied pressure on City for their match at Elland Road. One team overtaking the other is likely to be a common theme before the final points are totalled, given that besides the final day on Sunday 22 May, they will each play at different times: Liverpool before City twice and City before Liverpool once.
Seeing Liverpool leapfrog them in the table didn’t seem to unduly bother City’s players, considering they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners at Elland Road. Jesse Marsch insisted after the game that Leeds were better than the scoreline suggested which was true, but City were well worthy of the three points in any case. They too made changes, with Kevin De Bruyne given the entire afternoon off ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Madrid.
By the time these two could next be in action, they may have a Champions League final meeting to look forward to as well. Klopp’s caution is understandable, but it would take something miraculous for Liverpool to squander their two-goal advantage against Villarreal. City have a harder task away to Real Madrid, but perform as they did in the first leg and they should be fine.
Liverpool’s remaining fixtures
- Tottenham (h) – Sat 7 May, 7.45pm
- Aston Villa (a) – Tues 10 May, 8pm
- Southampton (a) – Tues 17 May, 7.45pm
- Wolves (h) – Sun 22 May, 4pm
Once those games are out of the way, they will each look to two of their hardest remaining fuxtures. Liverpool have an excellent record against Spurs at Anfield, but if there is one pair capable of taking advantage of their high defensive line, it is Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, as Guardiola and City will attest.
City, meanwhile, face Newcastle, who despite failing to cause Liverpool too much trouble are a team transformed under Eddie Howe. It will be interesting to see if and how other competitions impact each side, with both still competing in the Champions League and Liverpool facing Chelsea in the FA Cup final before the league season is over.
Picking where and when either side may drop points, though, is an exercise in futility considering how good these teams are. It is quite conceivable that they will each win all four of their remaining games and that for the second time in four years, Liverpool will finish second to City by a single point. But both will be acutely aware that any misstep is almost certain to be punished, which makes for a fascinating final few weeks.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/vItaD2S
Post a Comment