2020 vision a pretty sight for Liverpool
THERE’S BEEN a long-running, tiresome jibe among rival supporters slagging Liverpool fans for incessantly claiming ‘this is going to be our year’.
That said, I’ve yet to actually hear a Reds fan mouth the oft-quoted claim, other than in jest, and whether anybody has actually ever uttered those words in anything close to seriousness is probably a moot point.
2019 wasn’t half bad for them, considering they reached the top of the European tree for a sixth time, but 2020 looks certain to be even better as their Holy Grail, the Premier League trophy is sure to finally wing its merry way to Anfield.
The way Liverpool go about their business in a thoroughly professional manner bodes well for their title hopes and their experience of going head-to-head with Manchester City in a prolonged battle last term will ensure that they won’t take their foot off the pedal.
With a heavy fixtures schedule in December, Jurgen Klopp has had to chop and change his team of late, but it doesn’t seem to weaken them sufficiently for others to profit, so they really have everything going for them at the moment.
The usual suspects, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah are delivering, but they haven’t just relied on their sharp-shooters, with an incredible 16 different players getting on the scoresheet, including the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita.
Liverpool supporters may have had slight concerns about the depth in their squad at the start of the season but fringe players like Divock Origi and Adam Lallana have really stepped up to the plate and slotted in seamlessly to do a job.
Everybody is seemingly singing off the same hymn sheet and know their roles to a tee, so different players can step in and out of the side without any disruption to their flow.
They haven’t been at their brilliant best in plenty of games, but they still manage to find a way, winning 15 and drawing one of their 16 league matches to date, and scoring in every single one of them, so it’s hard to envisage a scenario where they could let their lead slip.
Okay, Leicester City may still be clearly visible in their rearview mirror but, considering Liverpool’s form during a 33-game unbeaten run which stretches well back into last season, it’s inconceivable that they could drop enough points for anybody to overtake them.
You’d have to imagine that Brendan Rodger’s side would also have to win the lion’s share of their own games between now and the end of the season, and although Vardy and co. are firing on all cylinders at present it’s difficult to imagine them not having at least a slight dip in form at one stage or another.
They’re certainly riding the crest of a wave at present though, registering a club record eight top-flight victories in a row when hammering Aston Villa 4-1 on Sunday.
The Foxes are at least keeping it interesting for the neutral as they continue to impress and the toughest job for Rodgers at the moment is trying to dampen expectations and play down their chances of repeating their unbelievable 2016 Premier League success.
Two matches either side of Christmas will really test Leicester’s mettle as they travel to face champions Manchester City before the arrival of the plump man in the red suit and then host leaders Liverpool on St. Stephen’s Day.
Those tasty contests should be of the Christmas cracker rather than turkey variety and depending on what way those fixtures go Liverpool could conceivably have the title neatly wrapped up like the lashings of gifts under the tree, or the opposition may garner renewed hope, albeit as faint as a flickering fairy light.
Manchester United fans, in particular, will always accuse Liverpool supporters of harping on about past glories until they get their mits on the Premier League trophy and their old adversaries ensured they have one hand firmly on it after outfoxing Man City on Saturday.
That win, coupled with their midweek triumph over Spurs, will give the Old Trafford faithful hope that they may be turning a corner, but they still have a long and treacherous climb to navigate before they can even dare to dream of getting close to returning to the top of the ladder.
United supporters will themselves be harping on about past glories for the foreseeable future, while the Liverpool faithful can finally bask in long-awaited glory.
Having fallen short so many times the more coy fans will still be whispering it in hushed tones, but soon they’ll be able to shout it loudly and proudly from the rooftops.
You don’t need 20/20 vision to see that 2020 is going to be Liverpool’s year.