On a mission
Can Liverpool make it three in a row? > Liverpool aim for third consecutive victory this weekend – but just how important is a winning start?
In 1993/94, victories over Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers and Swindon included ten goals but Graeme Souness would not avoid the sack and an eighthplace finish represented their lowest under the lights of the Premier League.
Though Liverpool would go one better by scoring 11 the next season against Crystal Palace, Southampton and Arsenal, they were fourth come May-time, 15 points behind Blackburn Rovers.
Meanwhile, three 1-0 wins under Brendan Rodgers in 2013/14 did not hint at subsequent flamboyance.
Nevertheless, 101 goals – their most in the top flight – was not enough to outdo City under Manuel Pellegrini when and where it mattered.
Beginnings, then, have not always given accurate indication into what the conclusions might be.
In 1905/06, Liverpool would endure their worst start ever, losing 3-1, 3-1 and 5-0, before recovering their composure to become champions, while contrastingly they would win three in three in 1969/70 (and eight of their first 10) before a watershed moment at Watford in the FA Cup where Shankly would decide that Tommy Lawrence, Ron Yeats and Ian St John were no longer good enough to play in a team that came fifth.
A few weeks ago, Klopp was emphasising again that the only thing that he can influence is the here and now. And yet, his assertion does not render any potential victory over Brighton as entirely irrelevant merely because of where it hasn’t led that often in the past.
City smashed 11 Premier League bests last season – the most significant of which is surely the 19 point gap between themselves and the second placed side.
Most relevantly, they have already set the pace this month with a record that even at this early stage is better than Liverpool’s.
It shows that Klopp’s team remains a challenger and one that will have to find a way to not only start well and finish well but do very well in between too. – The Independent