Liverpool has had a remarkable stretch after things looked bleak.
When Kopites woke up on the morning of 16 January, all Premier League hope seemed lost. Manchester City had a 14 point lead atop the table and hadn’t dropped any points since October- apparent front runners for the Premier League title. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Naby Keita were gone for a month on International duty for AFCON 2021. The Reds had a full schedule, competing in the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup, the last of which many fans had resigned to being Liverpool’s best shot at winning a trophy this year.
Coming into February, Liverpool is in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea. They are looking to pick up steam in the FA Cup, they are fighting for European glory in the Champions League, and somehow, Jurgen Klopp and the Reds are within striking distance of the top spot in the Premier League.
The Reds didn’t overcome a 14 point deficit in a week; however, coming into Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, the Reds had 2 games in hand over City, both crucial must-win matchups.
𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄, 𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐒 😍 pic.twitter.com/V9lfHrm6Mf
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 23, 2022
Despite some late match drama, Liverpool did their part in the first, defeating Crystal Palace 1-3 on the backs of goals by Virgil Van Dijk, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Fabinho; meanwhile, Manchester City dropped points in their draw to Southampton.
The future is for the taking for Liverpool
Today Liverpool is 9 points back of Manchester City with 1 match in hand– a match at Anfield against Leeds United, which was rescheduled from Boxing Day due to Covid-19 outbreaks. The last time Liverpool faced off with Leeds was in September at Elland Road, a match in which the Reds won 0-3. Anything less than victory at Anfield will be a disappointment, and the Reds should pick up another three points- ideally, they will be six points behind Manchester City at this point.
On Saturday, April 9, mark your calendars, cancel your plans, tell your boss you’re sick because the Reds will face off with Manchester City in a dramatic late-season matchup that could see the Reds only three points back of Manchester City with a victory. Between now and then, Klopp and company just have to outpace Manchester City by one match and close the 2 goal gap in the goal differential. The Reds are in a fantastic position with Salah, Mane, and Keita returning from AFCON and Harvey Elliott returning from injury. It may be challenging, but the Premier League and Quadruple are attainable, and as supporters, we shouldn’t be satisfied with domestic trophies. It’s going to be a thriller this season.