Title in reach if Reds learn to be ruthless
HAVIng watched his team surrender a twogoal lead on Saturday, jurgen Klopp seemed unusually grumpy. He thought the pitch was too dry, he didn’t like West Bromwich’s football. no manager is sunshine and smiles in defeat, but Klopp usually finds a way of putting a brave face on it. not this time.
Perhaps it was the future, more than the present, that was bothering him. This is Liverpool’s breakthrough season. not just because of tonight’s momentous tie with roma and the prospect of a Champions League final, but because of what his team have achieved against the best domestic opposition. Manchester City are the runaway Premier League winners and Liverpool have beaten them three games out of four. More importantly, they have won the three most recent meetings.
Meaning they should, they must, challenge for the title next season. not a distant second as Manchester united have been for much of this campaign. A genuine, sustained title race. If Liverpool can match Manchester City over the rest of the season, they would be hopeful of having the beating of them in head-toheads. At which point, anything is possible.
Yet that cannot happen if they chuck two points away at places like West Brom. That cannot happen if they remain the old, inconsistent, Liverpool — six points and eight goals in matches away at Stoke and Brighton, then two points and one goal from home fixtures with everton and West Brom.
Klopp no doubt thought his team had got these lapses out of their system in 2018. He believed they had turned a corner. So while the draw at the Hawthorns may seem small beer compared to the task ahead against roma, there is a bigger picture.
A year from now, dropping two points and two goals against inferiors could be every bit as important as a prestigious european fixture. It could be the difference between Liverpool’s first league title of the modern era, and a consolation prize. For all his good humour, Klopp doesn’t seem the kind of guy who thinks it’s the taking part that matters.