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We’re 12 games into the current Premier League season, and right now it looks like Liverpool could be closing in on their first ever title. The Reds lead the table with a total of 34 points – 8 clear of second-placed Leicester City – and have yet to lose a game thus far.
In fact, the only points that Jurgen Klopp’s side have dropped came in their October draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
So can anyone stop Liverpool? Or are they already the uncrowned champions of 2019-20?
Right now it’s tempting to suggest the league will be theirs come May, but in all honesty, that’d be a premature call to make. Bigger points gaps have been overhauled before – and there’s still plenty of time for the Reds to slip up.
Here are three upcoming fixtures that could cause Liverpool to slip up in their quest for the Premier League title.
#1 Leicester City vs Liverpool – 26/12/2019
The Christmas period is always tricky for any side, due to the crowded fixture list that tends to see teams playing multiple fixtures across a short time. But Liverpool’s visit to Leicester City on Boxing Day should probably give Reds fans even more worries than normal.
Firstly there’s the issue of Leicester’s general form; under former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, the Foxes look more dangerous than ever. They currently sit 8 points behind the Reds in second, but have a superior goal difference, having scored one more and conceded two fewer. The likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans are in the form of their lives right now.
But Liverpool don’t just have Leicester to contend with. Just eight days before their fixture at the King Power Stadium, Jurgen Klopp’s men will face an opponent to be determined in Qatar in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Win that game, and the Reds will face another opponent in the final on 22 December – and then travel back for their Boxing Day clash with the Foxes.
Add in the fact that Liverpool also play Aston Villa in the EFL Cup on 17 December – a day before they travel to Qatar – and it’s safe to say their squad will be stretched to its limits.
#2 Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool – 11/01/2020
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool is always a big fixture these days. The two clubs have developed quite the rivalry since climbing up the table over the last few seasons, and that was only increased by their showdown in last season’s Champions League final.
That alone would be enough to make this fixture a possible banana skin for the Reds. But after the events of this week, things have changed somewhat.
Spurs now have a new manager in the form of Jose Mourinho. And not only is the Portuguese capable of adding fuel to the fire of any rivalry, he’s also got major history with Liverpool.
Most recently of course, it was Mourinho’s Chelsea side that shot the Reds’ Premier League title hopes down, in the infamous 2014 match that saw Steven Gerrard’s slip – a moment no Liverpool fan will ever forget.
It’s true that Tottenham have struggled against Jurgen Klopp’s side of late; you have to go back to October 2017 to find the last time that the London side picked up all three points from Liverpool. But the Mourinho factor has added so much more to this match – making it a proverbial banana skin.
#3 Manchester City vs Liverpool – 04/04/2020
Right now the Premier League title race doesn’t exactly look like a two-horse one; Leicester City and Chelsea are in second and third place respectively. But it’s hard to deny that question marks surround both sides’ ability to keep the pace in the long haul.
Most fans still see Manchester City as Liverpool’s biggest realistic threat to Premier League glory.
That’s why the Reds’ away game at the Etihad Stadium in early April is perhaps the biggest threat to their title hopes. City might be nine points behind Liverpool right now, but it’s highly unlikely that Jurgen Klopp’s side can win every league game they have prior to their showdown with the Sky Blues. And that means that the gap could easily be closed by Pep Guardiola’s side.
City might have lost to the Reds in their most recent clash a couple of weeks ago, but they’re more than capable of breaking Klopp’s side – as we saw when goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane handed them a win at the Etihad in January. If the game proves to be pivotal to the title race – a showdown with the winners likely picking up the title – then City definitely have the superior experience from the recent past.
