Liverpool’s challenge is far from over…isn’t it?
Around a month ago Liverpool were on the brink of administration and were in the middle of a brief dalliance with the relegation zone. Fast forward a month and, although things are not entirely fixed, both on and off the pitch, life at Anfield is looking up. After a sensational win over champions Chelsea, Liverpool dropped points against both Wigan and Stoke before putting in an accomplished performance against West Ham at the weekend. If Liverpool had transformed the loss at Stoke and the draw at Wigan into victories they would be sitting one point shy of the Champions League places. As it is they are still only 6 points off 4th and 9 points off the top, and with the way the title challengers are dropping points on a weekly basis, the title is seemingly anyone’s for the taking. So could Liverpool yet make a push for the top?
Their performance against Chelsea was their best of the season by far and although West Ham were woefully poor on Saturday, you can only beat what’s in front of you. The way the league is panning out, it may be one of the tightest seasons ever, with Sir Alex Ferguson noting there could easily be five teams going for the top, and Arsene Wenger asserting that there may even be seven in the running. What Liverpool need is some consistency, if a side can put together a run of wins, then they will find themselves in with an excellent chance of emerging from that run somewhere near the top of the table, and with things looking up at Anfield, there is seemingly no reason that Liverpool can’t be that side.
However, as has been seen at Anfield all too often this season, consistency isn’t something that has generally characterised Liverpool’s performances. But with stability beginning to come at the very top of the club, perhaps it will filter down, ending in with more dependable performances on the pitch. It may seem a little farfetched to suggest that Liverpool have a shot at the title, considering they have lost 5 league games already this season, but to put that in perspective, Chelsea have already lost 4 and sit on top of the pile, albeit on goal difference, and lost 6 last year before going on to clinch the title.
Liverpool may not win the title this season, or even bag themselves a Champions League spot, but with the unpredictable nature of the Premier League so far this season, they would be ill-advised to settle for another mediocre finish just yet.
If you liked this and would like to read more, then why not check out my blogs, or follow me on Twitter.