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Where do they come from?!
Heading into 2021, Liverpool are in a precarious position ahead of Manchester United in a potential title race that no one saw coming.
In preparation for the festive Premier League period, the Reds could have been forgiven for overlooking the teams below them as they concentrated on fighting for Tottenham Hotspur’s top spot.
After all, Man City remains an inconsistent shadow of the side that Jurgen Klopp’s fought so bravely on in 2018/19, and had conquered everyone before them as centurions the year before.
Chelsea are equally unpredictable with Frank Lampard managing an unbalanced team despite the massive investment of the summer, while Tottenham, as has been shown since Roberto Firmino’s latest win against José Mourinho’s men last month, can always be trust him to ‘make a Tottenham’.
Meanwhile, players like Leicester City, Everton, Aston Villa and Southampton remain, let’s face it, suitors trying to find a seat at the table of the greats. And then there’s Arsenal, further away than ever from a Premier League title race.
But United, we were led to believe, were a club in crisis with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer facing the growing possibility of receiving his P45 for Christmas.
As Liverpool celebrated victory over Tottenham to claim first place, United were still licking their wounds from a surprising exit from the Champions League group stage the previous week, still not in a dangerous enough position to consider a 0-0 draw in the Manchester derby in their last outing an achievement.
Observers had watched as Solskjaer’s men were handed home by Crystal Palace on the first day of the season before suffering a humiliating 6-1 loss to Spurs at Old Trafford in October.
A 1-0 home loss to Arsenal came the following month, while there were plenty of smug faces as the Red Devils defense disappeared in Turkey, handing the victory to a Basaksehir from Istanbul led by Demba Ba.
And then there are the error-ridden performances of captain Harry Maguire, with goalkeepers David De Gea and Dean Henderson also taking turns performing their own missteps.
This was not a team Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp had to worry about. Until, in fact, they were.
Two weeks ago, the Reds found themselves leading the table with an eight-point lead over ninth-place United and about to send a statement with a devastating 7-0 win at Crystal Palace.
Now, they start 2021 tied on points with their old foes after their disappointing draws with West Brom and Newcastle, with Solskjaer’s men second in the table on goal difference.
Following the exploits of the national cup, United travel to Burnley before taking on Liverpool at Anfield on 17 January.
As the Reds prepare for a trip to Southampton, Solskjaer’s men could realistically find themselves in unfamiliar territory at the top of the table in the next two weeks, a far cry from the Norwegian’s own playing days at Old Trafford. with Sir Alex Ferguson.
With their departure from the Champions League cloaking their Premier League form, the Red Devils have quietly emerged as the team in English top flight form that has not lost in the league since early November.
The key to that increase has been the striking form of Bruno Fernandes.
The Portuguese playmaker, previously linked to Liverpool before guaranteeing such a move would never be possible upon completing a £ 67.6 million transfer to Old Trafford from Sporting Lisbon last January, has been placed in the same group as Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah as Premier. Outstanding elite talent in the league in the past 12 months.
Second only to Salah in the calendar year goalscorer chart, the 26-year-old scored 19 goals in 2020 and has 11 goals and seven assists so far this season to lift his team out of the depths of the world. mediocrity in the middle of the table. , battling for the Champions League qualification, and in a race for the Premier League title.
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Of course, Liverpool are no strangers to seeing a sensational star make such an impact.
In 2013/14, Luis Suárez returned from suspension to drag the Reds one step away from clinching an inaugural Premier League title.
With 31 goals and 12 assists in just 33 appearances, the Uruguayan’s performances took his teammates to new heights as Brendan Rodgers’ team embarked on an incredible run of results in the second half of the season.
Sitting fifth heading into 2014, six points behind leaders Arsenal with Man City, Chelsea and Everton leading the way, Suarez helped Liverpool build a 16-game unbeaten streak, leaving points in just two games, to open a five-point lead. at the table stop with three games to play.
Now of course we all know what happened next, as the lack of experience to win the title, led by Steven Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea and ‘Crystanbul’, cost the Reds dearly, and Kopites had to wait Six more years for Klopp to exorcise those demons.
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But Liverpool’s collapse despite Suarez’s majestic form should be a strong warning for Manchester United.
The brilliance of one individual might be enough to launch a title challenge, and indeed in this case keep Solskjaer in the spot, but it will take a lot more to lift the Premier League title.
If United are to hold credible hopes of beating Klopp’s men, their trip to Anfield will be crucial and it will be a game in which they need Fernandes in his prime.
But their mere presence does not equate to the title-winning experience Liverpool have forged over the past two years.
The Reds discovered that lesson the hard way in 2014, but now that shoe is on the other foot.
It is very good to be a title challenger when you first see the top, it is another matter to be the Champions in May.
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