Few would have guessed that by the time the second international break came around that Liverpool would be eight points clear of second-place Manchester City.
This type of comfort is a rarity in the Premier League when you consider that England’s top-flight is notorious for making teams work for every single point they can get and sometimes that’s not even enough.
This is not to suggest that the Reds are undeserving of this early lead that they have accumulated, far from it and after all, if you win eight games in a row you absolutely deserve all the rewards that come your way. However, it would be remiss for one not to acknowledge that City are currently a club in a very real mini-crisis, as their problems in defence have the potential to capsize the club during this season’s title race. Right now at least, Guardiola’s City are on the rocks as Liverpool sail by into what looks like the calmest of waters.
Liverpool have collected 101 points from last the last 38 Premier League games.
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) October 9, 2019
This is incredible. #LFC pic.twitter.com/ZyYW53mf55
Realistically, help will only arrive for City in January and until then they will have to make do with what they have. You would think that this international break will provide Guardiola with the respite he needs in order to hatch a plan that will ensure his side don't surrender their league title by November. Word coming from Manchester is that Guardiola is now looking at making a midfield sacrifice by dropping the impressive Rodri and putting Fernandinho back into the midfield in order to protect his calamitous defence.
We’ll have a better idea of what the Spaniard has been up to over the international break when City line up against a buoyant Crystal Palace who just beat West Ham away from home, but even if he does go ahead with that plan, it doesn’t seem possible that a makeshift side can currently match Liverpool pound-for-pound. There may be a slight upturn in results but sooner or later the Achilles heel will be exposed again.
With fixtures against Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal all to come before the transfer window opens, City will undoubtedly drop more points and really, there will never be a better time for Liverpool to finally smash down the door and win their first league title in 29 years. That’s the way the bookies see it as well, with Space Casino also wary of the storms that City have to negotiate in order to get back into this title race which is why they have priced the Reds at a mere 2/3 to win the Premier League.
8 - Liverpool have become just the seventh side in history to win each of their opening eight matches to an English top-flight season – and the first to achieve the feat on two occasions having also done so in 1990-91. Behemoth. pic.twitter.com/6Igrfx5T40
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 5, 2019
You feel even if Klopp’s men do stumble at some stage, City will be totally out of the running by the time they do. Chris Kirkland said this week that the title had already been won but given that it is only the beginning of October, Klopp will know he would be wise to keep his powder dry for the time being.
Indeed, however well a team is doing it is never wise to crown them champions before Remembrance Day has come around. With that said, Klopp will be encouraging his team to put everything into the next 12 fixtures in the lead up until January, should they carry on unbeaten then the title could well be secured by New Year’s Day.
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