Liverpool are about to cancel out Man City premier League advantage that has cost them before

Liverpool are about to cancel out Man City premier League advantage that has cost them before

Liverpool currently boast a five-point lead over Man City at the top of the table but things are about to change

 

Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola

Liverpool might currently boast a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table, but Jurgen Klopp will be well-aware that it is a ‘false advantage’.

 

 

The Reds boast 48 points after 21 matches, with Manchester City Arsenal, and Aston Villa all trailing on 43 points. But while the Gunners and Villans have also played 21 times, Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions possess a game in hand.

 

City won the FIFA Club World Cup last month, defeating Fluminense 4-0 in Saudi Arabia on December 22. Participation in the tournament ensured that their home clash with Brentford on December 23 would be postponed.

 

Liverpool did have the chance to go top of the table and build a seven-point lead over City when they hosted Arsenal on the same weekend. Yet a 1-1 draw would keep the Gunners one point clear of the Reds in first place, only for Klopp’s men to overtake them after they suffered back-to-back defeats to West Ham United and Fulham over the festive period.

 

 

But building a five-point lead over City courtesy of that Anfield draw, it has remained the gap between the two title hopefuls ever since. However, Liverpool will have such an advantage tested in the forthcoming weeks as they host Chelsea on January 31 before travelling to Arsenal on February 4 in their next two league matches.

 

City’s next two outings see them host Burnley on January 31 before travelling to Brentford on February 5, while Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest on January 30 before hosting Liverpool. Meanwhile, Villa host Newcastle United on January 30 and then travel to Sheffield United on February 3.

 

Consequently, gaps between the top four will increase and decrease, temporarily at least, as they each take to the field. With Tottenham Hotspur currently fifth with 40 points, they’ll be looking to force their way back into the mix also.

 

Should the Reds come through those next two fixtures unscathed, still boasting a lead at the top of the table, they will grow in confidence regarding their own title hopes. Yet City’s looming game-in-hand still leaves any lead over Guardiola’s ranks as ‘false’.

 

 

But after Liverpool booked their place in the League Cup final on Wednesday night, the shoe could soon be on the other foot.

 

City host Everton on February 10 and Chelsea on February 17, before welcoming Brentford to the Etihad for their aforementioned game in hand on February 20. They then travel to AFC Bournemouth on February 24, before a make-or-break month which sees them lock horns with Manchester United, Liverpool, Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal and Aston Villa in succession.

 

Liverpool host Burnley on February 10 before travelling to Brentford on February 17. But a League Cup final showdown with Chelsea on February 25, days after Man City’s game-in-hand, will leave them with their own outstanding match heading into March. The Reds were due to host the Hatters on February 24, but that fixture has now been postponed with a new date not yet confirmed.

 

 

Technically, that meeting with Luton could be rearranged for most midweeks in February, with the only slot that could be spoken for being possible FA Cup fifth-round ties on February 28. However, playing on February 13/14 or February 20/21 would require UEFA permission due to Champions League matches taking place on those dates.

 

But as things stand, both Liverpool and City will currently have played the same number of games come February 20, confirming what the gap between them really is after 25 matches. Even if the Reds are then left with a game-in-hand of their own just days later.

 

If Klopp’s men still lead the Premier League table in four matches’ time, regardless of what City do when hosting Brentford, the title race will be very much in their hands.

 

If City overtake them, they will then be the side left boasting a ‘false lead’ after playing a match more. Only time will tell how decisive the Reds’ game-in-hand to Luton could prove to be, whether it has the potential to extend a lead, leapfrog their rivals, or claw back some of a deficit.

 

Liverpool and City have been here before, of course. In 2018/19, the Reds led the way for the majority, only to be overtaken at the death when Guardiola’s men won a game-in-hand against Leicester City in their penultimate match of the season. Klopp’s side would miss out on the title by a solitary point.

 

Meanwhile, in 2021/22 when Liverpool last competed in a League Cup final, their own game-in-hand saw them narrow the gap on leaders City to just one point when defeating Arsenal 2-0 in mid-March. But both sides would pick up the same number of points from the final nine matches of the season as the Reds again suffered title heartache by a solitary point.

 

On each occasion, City were the side in control, be it through points on the board or the potential to lead the way by winning games-in-hand. They handled the pressure, won the matches in front of them, and came out on top.

 

In contrast, if we pre-date Klopp and Guardiola, Liverpool choked when City won the 2013/14 title by two points despite the Reds leading them by nine points after winning 3-2 at Norwich City in their 35th game. Manuel Pellegrini’s side boasted two games-in-hand at the time, winning both, with Brendan Rodgers’ side infamously dropping points to Chelsea and Crystal Palace as the title slipped through their grasp.

 

Yet that side hadn’t won anything and had the weight of the world on its shoulders as it looked to end Liverpool’s then 24-year wait to be crowned champions of England. The current Reds are far more experienced, having won everything there is to win under Klopp.

 

It might be ‘Liverpool 2.0’ but title-race experience remains at their heart and there is nothing false about them. Having suffered disappointment before, Klopp’s men can learn from previous heartbreak and take control of the title race in the weeks ahead.

 

Regardless of what happens next, there is still an awfully long way to go.