RECORD BREAKERS
16 points clear, 38 games unbeaten, Liverpool are...
JURGEN KLOPP’S Liverpool moved a sweet 16 points clear at the top of the Premier League and sent more records tumbling last night — but Virgil van Dijk insists they can get even better.
This victory, thanks to Roberto Firmino’s first-half strike, set a new club record of 38 games for their longest-ever unbeaten league run. Their previous tally of 37 had stood since 1894.
Liverpool are also the first team ever in Europe’s top five leagues to win 20 of their opening 21 matches of a league season, leaving them on an amazing 61 points.
Yet speaking after last night’s win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Liverpool defender Van Dijk said they can improve and must do better.
‘We want to analyse the game and be much better, but three points is massive, especially here,’ he said.
‘We play Spurs, who are a good side. They were in the Champions League final and that must still hurt for them and they will want to bounce back. The league lead gives us all a good feeling. But you see there is still room for improvement.
‘We are in a good situation but there is work we can do to make it easier.’
Manchester City can cut Liverpool’s lead from 16 to 14 points by beating Aston Villa away today but this win means Klopp’s side now have more than double the points of Tottenham.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho sprung a surprise in his line-up, handing 20-year-old Japhet Tanganga his Premier League debut in defence facing Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Christian Eriksen also started but was jeered after being substituted with 20 minutes to go.
The playmaker’s passive performance angered supporters, with him potentially leaving this month.
IDON’T know Jack Grealish personally and you can never be 100 per cent sure what motivates a player. Most want to maximise their careers but some have other priorities, like Matt Le Tissier did at Southampton where he chose to remain a one-club man rather than move to a bigger stage.
My feeling is that Jack, while a lifelong Aston Villa fan, is an ambitious lad and will have a huge desire to see how far his talent can take him.
Villa fans won’t like me saying this about their captain and local hero, but to kick on he has to go to a Champions League club this year, hopefully having first preserved Villa’s Premier League status.
I think he will show against Manchester City today that he deserves to be in the same company as Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and the other great City players on show at Villa Park.
The big guns will want him and, unfortunately at Villa, he’s going to be limited in what he can do. They aren’t going to be competing for Premier League or Champions League trophies in the next five years.
Jack could fit into any of the Big Six teams though some need him more than others. His big asset is the variety in his game. He can have an impact as a No10, off the left, in a midfield three or even as a deep-lying midfielder.
He is a dribbler, a strong player who can receive the ball in tight areas and carry it forward. As the most-fouled player in the league, he can take the kicks and get up to create and score goals.
He’d walk into the Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United teams right away. He’s not inferior to Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley or Mason Mount at Chelsea. Even though Liverpool are currently well-stocked for midfielders, what if Gini Wijnaldum doesn’t sign a new contract and James Milner gets to a certain age?
Could Jack do the hard yards Jurgen Klopp demands? Yes. Would I have him ahead of Naby Keita for example? Yes.
Ironically, City are probably least in need of Jack. He is good enough to fit into a Pep Guardiola team but they’ve invested a lot of time in developing Phil Foden who is another top talent and earmarked to replace David Silva.
Grealish is 24 and still uncapped but that shouldn’t be a worry. Gary Lineker didn’t make his England debut until the same age and went on to have a half-decent international career. Players develop at different times.
Jack’s prospects were stalled for a couple of years by playing in the
Championship but in the long term it has done him good. He has grown stronger physically and mentally and seems to have eradicated the off-field stories that followed him around as a kid.
What you’ve seen this season is someone whose confidence has gone through the roof after helping get Villa promoted. He plays with a brilliant strut and swagger and doesn’t let his head drop when things get difficult. As I predicted in my 2020 New Year forecasts, I think he will be part of England’s Euro squad.
Today will be a great test because Villa won’t see much of the ball so he’ll have to use it wisely when it comes his way.
As a lifelong Villa fan, he’ll be desperate to help the club stay up and reach the Carabao Cup final after their 1-1 draw with Leicester in the first leg of the semi-finals.
In the summer, it’ll hurt Villa if he has to say farewell. But he needs to. His talent is worthy of a player in a Champions League club, not one in a relegation dogfight.