Slot's title favorites: what can stop Liverpool?
Liverpool is now nine points clear at the top of the Premier League, their greatest margin as leaders in the tournament since the final day of the 2019-20 campaign; the Reds travel to Newcastle United on Wednesday night, followed by archrivals Everton on Saturday afternoon.
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The Opta Supercomputer believes Liverpool currently has an 85.1 percent chance of winning the Premier League after their 2-0 win over champions Man City on Super Sunday saw them jump nine points clear at the top - but what can stop Arne Slot's team from being crowned winners this season?
Liverpool's dominant victory at Anfield over a City team that had won a record-breaking four consecutive top-flight titles heading into this season gave the Reds a massive 11-point lead over Pep Guardiola's side, while they also lead Arsenal and Chelsea by nine points as we approach the busy Christmas period - the second-largest lead at this stage of a Premier League season.
Slot was unsurprisingly quick to downplay expectations following the final whistle on Sunday, saying: "I saw Arsenal yesterday [Saturday] and Chelsea today [Sunday], and I saw City; they will come back because these clubs have such much skill. They may go on the same run as us. So we need to stay smart and attentive."
However, while recommending caution, Roy Keane, a serial title winner during his tenure at Manchester United, believes Liverpool now has the momentum in this season's title fight. "You don't get a league medal in December, but this team will be hard to beat," Keane stated on Super Sunday.
Sure, everything appears to be going well for the Reds right now, but things can change quickly in football - just ask Manchester City, who, after defeating Southampton to return to the top of the table on October 26, extending their unbeaten league run to 32 games, have not won a game in any competition since, falling out of the top four.
Liverpool now faces two difficult road games, beginning with a trip to Newcastle United on Wednesday night, followed by their first game of the weekend against city rivals Everton on Saturday lunchtime in what is expected to be the final Merseyside derby at Goodison.
Sean Dyche's team rallied to defeat Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool 2-0 at home in April, effectively ending their title chances despite being relegated at the time, so this meeting will be no walk in the park for the visitors, despite the Toffees languishing near the drop zone once more. Former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher feels that the Reds' next two games will be crucial to their title ambitions this season, telling Sky Sports: "I believe that whenever there are three Premier League games in one week, a lot can change. Now, no disrespect to Manchester City; they've been fantastic for the past five or six years.
"But when I looked at this week, I saw Newcastle away on Wednesday night, followed by Everton away at 12.30 pm next Saturday.
"That is a speedy turnaround. If Liverpool can walk away with four to six points, they'll be in a wonderful position. Because if I'm an Arsenal player or manager, the next two games against Liverpool aren't simple." Liverpool, of course, only needs to look to Arsenal to see that leads of this size are easily blown, with the Gunners holding an eight-point lead in January 2023, only for City to storm back and win the title by five points - something Mikel Arteta was quick to remind his rivals of.
"We've been there, and maintaining it for ten months is extremely difficult," remarked the Arsenal boss. "Suddenly when you think you have it, one day it collapses."
Liverpool now has the joint third-most injuries of any Premier League team, having lost both Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate to knocks late in Wednesday night's 2-0 Champions League triumph against Real Madrid at Anfield. Those two players join Alisson Becker [hamstring], Konstantinos Tsimikas [ankle], Federico Chiesa [unknown], and Diogo Jota [chest] as Slot's current absentees, though the former is expected to return to training shortly.
Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister [and Konate] has had four cards this season, putting the vital Argentina midfielder one caution away from a two-game suspension. The slot will be most concerned about Liverpool's defense, as the club is currently missing two of their first-choice back lines, as well as both of their backup full-backs, meaning that any injury to captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, or the recently fit Trent Alexander Arnold would leave the Dutchman with only Jarell Quansah, who replaced the latter for the final quarter of an hour against City, as defensive cover.
"I think if they lose Salah or Van Dijk, it will be different," Micah Richards stated on Super Sunday. "We talked about big players showing up. I mentioned [Martin] Odegaard and [Bukayo] Saka from Arsenal. "Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne for Manchester City." I believe that if you lose Van Dijk and Salah, things will change dramatically. "If they stay fit, it will be extremely difficult for everyone else."
Carragher, for his part, feels that if his previous team suffers any more back problems, it could have an impact on their current momentum. "Well just look at the injuries right now," remarked the gentleman. "I believe that if they sustained another one or two injuries, they would have a defensive problem." A significant difficulty is that they may have to deploy a midfielder or a fullback there."
Slot's record-breaking start to his Reds reign has been so good that Liverpool is still battling on all four fronts, but such success comes with its own set of obstacles. It means the Reds now have a jam-packed match schedule, with a Carabao Cup quarter-final against Southampton on December 18, three more UEFA Champions League games before the competition's knockout round in the spring, and the start of the FA Cup in January.
All of this, combined with crucial league matches this winter, means Slot will have to be spot-on with his team selections, making full use of a squad that is beginning to feel the bite of injuries, while also hoping his medical team, led by the new head of physical performance Ruben Peeters, can get his other stars back to full fitness as soon as possible. Klopp's Liverpool faced a similar quandary during their 2019-20 title-winning season, to the point where they had to choose between playing their strongest lineup in the Club World Cup and fielding a team of youngsters that lost 5-0 at Aston Villa in a League Cup quarter-final.
Liverpool also ran out of steam while attempting to achieve historic quadruples in 2021-22 and last season, with Carragher arguing that Slot should now only select his first-choice XI in top-flight and European games. "Domestic cup competitions [could be a problem]," Carragher admitted on Super Sunday. "Last season and a few years prior, Liverpool won four trophies at this point in the season.
"In one season, they won two domestic cups but lost the Champions League final and the Premier League on the final day against City. "Last season, I was talking about the Europa League; they won the Carabao Cup, and the FA Cup game against Manchester United almost ended the season in certain ways. You can no longer lose games on purpose or strive to perform poorly.
"You're Liverpool; you must compete in every competition. But, if I were to advise the manager, I would not play any first-team players in domestic cup competitions because winning four trophies in a season is almost impossible. "That might be a dilemma for them. If they could just focus on the league and the Champions League, I believe they will be unstoppable."
Liverpool entered this season with no one tipping them for the title following Klopp's departure last summer, allowing them to fly under the radar so far.
"This season they have gone under the radar in terms of a lot of people talking about City and Arsenal fighting for the title and not so much talked about Liverpool, so I think that's helped them in a way, they've had less pressure on their shoulders," Phil Foden, the Manchester City attacker, told ESPN. "There is still a long way to go and we know how quickly it can change."
The England international is correct, and with Liverpool having just lost one match in all competitions this season, and barely trailing in any meetings, Slot and his teammates have had little pressure to deal with. So it'll be intriguing to see how the usually calm Dutchman reacts if the Reds start losing games.
Salah and Van Dijk were once again questioned about their futures at Anfield following Liverpool's victory over City, with the former's "we will see what happens" response generating even more concern among the club's fans. And with both players, as well as Alexander-Arnold, who are all able to speak with international suitors from January 1, still, to reach terms on new deals at Anfield, with their existing contracts expiring after this campaign, this is an off-field distraction Slot would do without right now.
"All I am asking is for Salah not to come out after every game and talk about his situation," Carragher stated in reaction to Salah's comments, but one thing is certain: the Liverpool boss does not want this scenario to have any bearing on the Reds' title bid.
While Liverpool may still pitch their whole title-winning defense from four years ago, as well as Curtis Jones and Salah farther up the field, none of their other first-team players have ever won the Premier League. Slot, too, has limited title-winning experience, though he did lead Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title in 2022 and 23, and as City and Arsenal have demonstrated in recent seasons, there is no substitute for successfully crossing that finish line. The Reds, on the other hand, will be hoping that their winning momentum will carry them over the finish line next May, as it did five years ago.
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