Five reasons why Liverpool will end their 29-year hoodoo and be crowned Premier League champions this season

Five reasons why Liverpool will end their 29-year hoodoo and be crowned Premier League champions this season
Jurgen Klopp and his players are refusing to admit it but, let’s face it, Liverpool are now the favourites to win the Premier League this season.They are seven points clear at the top of the table and a win over title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday could give the Reds a ten-point cushion.7

Liverpool have been near perfect this season

It has been a very professional campaign so far and has the makings to arguably be the club’s best season since the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s.But can Liverpool finally win a league title after 29 years? Below you can see five reasons why it’s their crown to lose.

Liverpool have something to prove

The 2017/18 season was a decent campaign but it could have been so much better.They achieved their target of qualifying for the 2018/19 Champions League proper, however, they were just one game away from being champions of Europe.7

The Reds failed at the final hurdle in their bid to win a sixth European crown

A 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the final in Kiev saw Liverpool go another season without a trophy and critics labelled this as another typical Liverpool performance.The Reds could have spent the summer feeling sorry for themselves but it seems this defeat is spurring them on even further to achieve greatness and a league title would be the perfect way to silence those doubters.

Liverpool have learnt how to beat the ‘lesser teams’

Getting results against the top teams, ie the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham hasn’t been much of an issue in recent seasons – it’s been against the Premier League’s ‘lesser sides’ where Liverpool have lost valuable points.However, 20 games in this term and Liverpool are unbeaten – sweeping aside all the teams they are expected to beat – only dropping points against Manchester City at home and Chelsea and Arsenal away so far.Klopp has managed to drill it into his players that every game is a cup final and gone are the days when Liverpool would only lift themselves for the glamour games.7

Liverpool have backed their performances against the bigger teams with wins against sides outside of the top six

Brilliant defence and solid spine

During the first half of last season, Liverpool’s defence was a shambles. Things have changed a lot over the last 12 months, however.Conceding just eight Premier League goals this season (compared with 23 at the same stage last term), you could make a very strong case that the best defence in the division is now at Anfield.Central to this has been Virgil van Dijk whose 75million price tag looks like a bargain now. Not only has he come in and performed brilliantly but he’s improved others around him – a quality very few footballers possess.7

The likes of Van Dijk and Alisson has transformed Liverpool’s fortunes at the back

The likes of Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip, who were quite flaky in the past, have come in at points this season and have looked highly competent at their jobs. Joe Gomez has also taken his game up another couple of notches.Liverpool’s spine has improved greatly following their work in the summer transfer market.Despite his showboating which led to a cheap goal being conceded against Leicester in September, Brazilian Alisson has restored order in goal and plays with a real calmness that makes Kopites less nervous every time the ball is near their goal.The signing of Alisson’s countryman Fabinho has also given the defenders more protection from opposition attacks and midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has taken his game up another level.7

Fabinho is getting better with each game he plays

As for the front three of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, well, there’s no need to explain just how good they are.

Manchester City are lacking the same intensity this season

Pep Guardiola’s side won the Premier League at a canter last season and took their football to incredible heights.It’s therefore not a surprise to see City go through a bit of a lull and their form in December has been catastrophic in their bid to retain their title.7

City lost three times in the Premier League in December

Three defeats including a shock back-to-back losses against Crystal Palace and Leicester have seen them lose ground on a Liverpool side who look like they have no weaknesses.

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Liverpool legend confident the Reds will win Premier League

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Guardiola even said that a failure to secure a win against the leaders would spell the end of the Citizens’ title hopes.

Liverpool are getting the luck needed to be champions

Finally and probably most importantly, Liverpool are getting the luck they need to become champions.You could find numerous moments throughout the season where Liverpool were fortunate but some of the standout ones include when City missed a golden opportunity to win at Anfield after Riyad Mahrez missed a late penalty.Divock Origi’s comical winning goal in the Merseyside derby in December which saw Jordan Pickford spill a nothing ball back into play and the Belgian heading in was an extraordinary slice of luck too.Even their 3-1 victory over Manchester United, Klopp’s first Premier League win over the Red Devils, saw Liverpool get the luck. The Reds were deserved winners but Xherdan Shaqiri’s second-half double which won the match was fortunate as both goals took huge deflections which not even David de Gea could save.7

Liverpool’s win over United is potentially a huge psychological barrier cleared

It’s such a clich to say it but there’s a long way to go in the race for the Premier League title this season.But if Liverpool can manage to avoid defeat against City on Thursday night, failure to go on and win the league would be a disaster for them.It’s Liverpool’s title if they want it.

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