Feeling strain when push comes to shove
CHELSEA may have to settle for a bit-part in the Premier League this season, but they could have played a crucial role in determining the destination of the title on Saturday evening by showing all and sundry that Manchester City are fallible after all.
After simply sauntering through the league last season, winning by 19 points and leaving the competition choking in their dust trail, most smart money was on City holding on to their crown without too much fuss this time around.
The other clubs seem to have subscribed to the almost inevitable script that forcefully told us that nothing could stop the sky blue Manchester juggernaut - all except Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool that is.
In all likelihood Pep Guardiola’s men will still go on to become the first club to retain the Premier League title in a decade, but at least we have a bona fide race this time instead of the procession we had last term, where all-comers pretty much sat back and admired the beauty of Manchester City once they confidently jogged between the white lines of battle.
That’s the one thing that could count against the champions this time around. Last season was such a cakewalk that they barely had to break sweat and a real dogfight will be new to some of them, so how they deal with that pressure will be the difference between getting over the line or leaving the door open for Liverpool.
All they had to concern themselves with last season was breaking record after record, now they have to worry about Liverpool breathing down their necks like a ravenous, fire-breathing dragon.
The Reds may have endured another trophyless campaign last season but one thing they did show is that in a head-to-head battle they were more than a match for Manchester City, overcoming them in the top flight at Anfield and dominantly outfoxing their rivals in their two-legged Champions League semi-final.
That said, if they are to get their hands on the coveted Premier League crown this season a slice of luck may prove crucial, as Riyad Mahrez’s missed penalty at Anfield could be a pivotal moment.
Liverpool have managed to hang in there, despite being far from their swaggering best this term and if ever there was a moment that could kick-start a prolonged title challenge it was Divock Origi’s dramatic injury time winner in the Merseyside derby recently.
After following it up with a win at Burnley, they then brought that momentum into Saturday’s game with Bournemouth and the sweetest sight for the Liverpool faithful was Mohamed Salah looking back to his brilliant best.
They got an even bigger boost later in the evening when Chelsea soaked up immense early pressure before N’Golo Kante turned the game on its head just before half-time, which was the launchpad for the Londoners to inflict the first defeat of the campaign on the all-conquering champions.
Of course City won’t be the only ones to feel pressure, we know that Liverpool, who now boast the league’s only unbeaten record, won’t be immune from it.
Having a squad with the talent of Manchester City ready to pounce like a pack of hyenas when their prey shows any sign of weakness ensures that any slip up will be magnified. We all remember what happened the last time the Anfield faithful had title dreams in their sights when Brendan Rodgers was in charge in 2014.
Only time will tell if Jurgen Klopp can summon up a sustained title challenge this time around, but at least they have made City sit up and realise that they’re in a genuine fight.
We’ve seen Liverpool live with the best before, but their Achilles heel has often been that they lost their way against the also-rans, a glaring weakness which they seem to have eradicated, domestically at least.
They’ve been manfully struggling to stay on Manchester City’s coat-tails up until now, but how will they cope now that they are the front-runners, the ones with the big target on their back?
Will they thrive in their new unfamiliar surroundings or buckle under the pressure of expectancy? That’s the million dollar question Jurgen Klopp and his eager band of players have to answer.
Manchester City have been there, done it and worn the ‘campione’ t-shirt, while mullets and moustaches were all the rage the last time Liverpool could call themselves champions of England.
Back then the shorts were so tight that the players could have all sung high-pitched arias, like Aled Jones in his formative years.
Try to squeeze into a pair of those and us menfolk would know what pressure is all about.