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On the last nine occasions, eight of the teams that have led the English Premier League at Christmas went on to win the title at the end of the season. The one team which failed was Liverpool as a drastic blunder from Steven Gerrard resulted in a goal in a crucial tie.
But things have changed since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool look absolutely unstoppable on their way to the title this season (not jinxing it!).
After their victory against Wolves last night, they are on top of Premier League with 48 points in 18 games so far. They have won 15 of these fixtures, drawn 3 and lost none in the process. They are 4 points ahead of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City who have a game in hand.
Evidently, the current Liverpool side has been unbeatable till now and are invincible both home and away. None of the teams have managed to defeat them and they look unstoppable whenever they are on the pitch.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was impressed with the things he saw in their 2-0 victory against Wolves and praised his team's 'perfect football'. They are the only unbeaten team in the English Premier League and among the 3 teams (Paris Saint- Germain and Juventus being the other two) who are unbeaten across Europe's top 5 leagues.
Without further ado, let us look at the three reasons for Liverpool's invincible run this season so far.
#1 Much Improved defence
Sir Alex Ferguson once said that attacks win us games but the defence wins us titles. It is a remark which is still true and Liverpool has shown just that this season.
Despite the brilliance of front three last season, Liverpool failed to win any trophies with a porous defence. But this season they have sorted it out with the arrivals of van Dijk in January and the signing of Alisson Becker from Roma during the summer.
Such has been the improvement that Liverpool have only conceded 17 goals in 32 Premier League games in which van Dijk has played, keeping 17 clean sheets in the process. With fullbacks like Robertson and Trent Alexander Arnold and centre-backs like Gomez, Lovren and Matip, Liverpool's defensive unit forms a formidable block for the opponents.
A much-improved defence means that the Reds have closed the gap with Pep Guardiola's 'Centurions' Manchester City. The Liverpool backline has conceded only 7 goals this season compared to Manchester City's 10 which helped Pool with their goal difference significantly.
It is no wonder that Liverpool are now hot favourites along with Manchester City to win the title, thanks to that excellent defensive backline.
#2 Better squad depth
The depth of the squad plays a huge role in a title-winning team. It is a long season and with the UEFA Champions League and domestic cup fixtures on the plate, a team must possess good depth to put up a challenge across all the fronts. Liverpool have done just that this season.
With some key transfers since the departure of Phillip Coutinho to Barcelona, Liverpool managed to strengthen their squad with some good signings. They bought the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabinho, Allison and Naby Keita along with Virgil van Dijk in January which has added both quality as well as improved the depth.
Each of these signings proved their credentials with some superb performances. The recent instances being Shaqiri and Fabinho's performances in these last few games. Moreover, the presence of these efficient players on the bench helped Jurgen Klopp with rotations and that has helped him keep his main players fit.
Their main rivals, Manchester City have been affected by injury issues this season with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero, out for large parts of the season. Yet, they haven't lost steam which speaks volumes about their squad depth.
To compete with the depth of the Manchester City squad, Liverpool have made good strides and shown that they are truly up for the challenge.
#3 Individual brilliance
Last but not least, this Liverpool squad possess the firepower to deliver the title this season. They have world-class players in their squad who can change the complexion of any tie with their skill as Jurgen Klopp has turned these individuals into a compact unit.
The likes of Mo Salah, Firmino and Mane need no introduction. The trio which ripped apart strongest defences of Europe and instilled fear into the hearts of rival defenders are off their pace this season but they are still well equipped to break any defensive organization in the world with their quality.
The presence of workhorse like Milner and leaders like Henderson in midfield helped maintain stability in games whereas the inclusion of Fabinho and Keita will only increase their strength.
The presence of Virgil van Dijk and Allison proved vital to the league leaders as they have settled in quickly and are justifying their price tags. Needless to say, they have the world's best fullbacks filled with pace and quality in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.
Moreover, they look like a team who are only getting better this season. Salah is slowly getting back into the groove and it will be extremely hard to stop them if the players can replicate and carry forward their first-half form into the back end of the season.
