Liverpool’s Premier League title run-in: Analysing each sport – The Athletic – The Athletic

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If there have been any doubts about whether or not the Premier League title run-in had began, the edgy environment at Anfield for the closing phases of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers dispelled them.
Arne Slot now has an concept of what the title run-in could really feel like on Merseyside, as he confronts the ultimate third of the Premier League season seven factors away from Arsenal, Liverpool’s solely critical challengers.
Evaluating the 2 golf equipment’ remaining fixtures suggests there’s little between them — by way of common place of their opponents, Liverpool (10.8) have a fractionally simpler sequence than Arsenal (10.5)
However that doesn’t inform the entire story. If we take all sides’s remaining away fixtures, the common place of Liverpool’s opponents rises to 9.3 as 5 of them are within the high 10. Arsenal’s is 11.8, however they should go to Anfield and third-placed Nottingham Forest. At dwelling, Liverpool have extra beneficial fixtures: 12 to Arsenal’s 9.4.
The Athletic checked out every league fixture Liverpool have remaining and assessed the positives and negatives forward of these matches.
GO DEEPER
Liverpool must relax
Present place: ninth
Liverpool’s final 5 outcomes v Villa: WDWDW
Cause to be cheerful: Goalscoring has not been a difficulty for Liverpool at Villa Park or in opposition to Unai Emery’s aspect. They’ve scored three in every of their final two visits and so they haven’t misplaced for the reason that outstanding 7-2 defeat in 2020. They dominated the fixture earlier this season (2-0) and might want to impose themselves once more. 
Cause to be fearful: A midweek match beneath the lights at Villa Park isn’t any straightforward process for any staff. They’ve been an inconsistent aspect, however disappointing outcomes have largely come away from dwelling. Villa haven’t misplaced at dwelling in all competitions for the reason that finish of October.
Present place: 4th
Final 5 outcomes: WDDLW
Cause to be cheerful: This isn’t the Pep Guardiola aspect Liverpool are used to visiting on the Etihad, and the stakes are very completely different. So typically a possible title decider, the one staff right here which have title pretensions are Liverpool. Slot’s aspect have been dominant within the reverse fixture and whereas Metropolis regarded extra like themselves within the 4-0 victory over Newcastle last weekend, they’ve been stricken by inconsistency all season.
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Cause to be fearful: The Etihad is Liverpool’s kryptonite, having not received there within the league since Jurgen Klopp’s first season in cost in 2015. They nonetheless have gamers of top quality equivalent to Erling Haaland, and January addition Nico Gonzalez’s efficiency in opposition to Newcastle provided them the type of management they’ve missed in Rodri’s absence.
Present place: seventh
Final 5 outcomes: DWWWW
Cause to be cheerful: Historical past is in Liverpool’s favour: they’re unbeaten in opposition to Newcastle in 16 matches and haven’t misplaced to them at Anfield within the league since 1994. The preview of the Carabao Cup remaining will probably be one other powerful contest, however Liverpool ought to be a lot better ready and know what to anticipate from their opponents. Regardless of Liverpool being under their greatest within the 3-3 draw earlier this season, they nonetheless have been solely a late goalkeeping misjudgement away from profitable.
Cause to be fearful: Alexander Isak. He’s been Newcastle’s X issue all season and is able to profitable video games on his personal. That attract December was one of many hardest video games of the season and Liverpool struggled in opposition to Newcastle’s aggressive method. You’d anticipate the sport plan to stay the identical as Liverpool attain the tip of a gruelling 5 video games in simply over two weeks. They’ll’t afford to be sluggish once more.
Present place: twentieth
Final 5 outcomes: WDWWW
Cause to be cheerful: Southampton are competing to be statistically the worst aspect in Premier League historical past. On paper, that is Liverpool’s best remaining fixture remaining by a distance.
Cause to be fearful: There shouldn’t be any. Complacency is the one actual enemy for Slot and his gamers right here, even when Southampton did make life awkward for them on the south coast in November. Liverpool must kill the sport shortly and provide no encouragement.
Present place: 14th
Final 5 outcomes: DLWWD
Cause to be cheerful: Liverpool have dominated this fixture at Anfield in recent times. They’ve a rating to settle, too, after James Tarkowski’s last-minute equaliser, Abdoulaye Doucoure’s antagonising celebrations and their frustrations with the refereeing efficiency in the return game earlier this month.
Cause to be fearful: It’s the Merseyside derby and one other alternative for his or her closest rivals — in superb kind beneath David Moyes — to derail their title cost. It is going to be filled with emotion, however Liverpool must rise above it and play the sport on their phrases.
Present place: eighth
Final 5 outcomes: DWWWD
Cause to be cheerful: Liverpool have been in a position to dominate Fulham within the second half of the 2-2 draw this season regardless of solely having 10 males and haven’t misplaced at Craven Cottage since 2011.
Cause to be fearful: Marco Silva units up his aspect shrewdly, and so they have high quality in attacking areas. Adama Traore’s tempo, for one factor, will pose a check to Andy Robertson on Liverpool’s left flank. Solely two groups have misplaced fewer league video games this season.
Present place: sixteenth
Final 5 outcomes: WDWWW
Cause to be cheerful: Liverpool have performed West Ham twice this season, as soon as within the league and as soon as within the Carabao Cup. They’ve scored 10 objectives in complete and completely dominated.
Cause to be fearful: Hopefully, they haven’t used all their objectives up… That stated, it is going to be a special model of West Ham with Graham Potter now in cost and so they do have a squad sprinkled with attacking high quality that may produce a second like Matheus Cunha did for Wolves. Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, specifically, are threats that should be guarded in opposition to.
Present place: nineteenth
Final 5 outcomes: WWWWL
Cause to be cheerful: Leicester, together with the remainder of the promoted sides, are staring relegation within the face. They battle to attain and concede objectives — and Ruud van Nistelrooy’s tenure has failed to supply an uplift.
Cause to be fearful: Jordan Ayew’s early objective within the December fixture was an alarming second and Slot’s aspect struggled to interrupt the away aspect down in a limp first half. The relegation battle at all times leads to a couple shock outcomes; Liverpool simply want to ensure it doesn’t come in opposition to them.
Present place: twelfth
Final 5 outcomes: WWLWW
Cause to be cheerful: Ange Postecoglou’s aspect have been outplayed, outclassed and dispatched earlier this month as Liverpool booked their place within the Carabao Cup remaining with a dominant 4-0 semi-final second-leg victory. Spurs will at all times cough up possibilities and Liverpool’s assault ought to be licking their lips.
Cause to be fearful: Tottenham ought to arrive at Anfield with most of the key gamers they’ve been with out in current weeks and months, particularly in defence. That may make them a special proposition to the patched-up aspect that just lately got here to Merseyside and, for all their frailties, that is nonetheless a staff that may rating objectives.
Present place: sixth
Final 5 outcomes: WWDDD
Cause to be cheerful: After wanting like potential title contenders in 2024, Chelsea have pale in current months and are combating to safe a Champions League spot as an alternative. They’ve had issues defensively and in objective, and striker Nicolas Jackson’s harm means they carry much less of a menace, with Cole Palmer unable to hold the load alone. They give the impression of being a shadow of the outfit that dominated durations of the sport at Anfield in October.
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Cause to be fearful: Stamford Bridge is at all times a tricky away journey no matter kind and Liverpool’s document there’s mediocre. There may be an unpredictability about Chelsea on a week-to-week foundation. Their expertise means collective and particular person brilliance is feasible and so they have been one of many hardest checks Slot and his gamers have confronted this season.
Present place: 2nd
Final 5 outcomes: DLDDL
Cause to be cheerful: If Liverpool have been in a position to preserve the lead they at present have, then that will put all of the stress on Arsenal to come back to Anfield and win — one thing they haven’t finished since 2012. There may be additionally a world the place it could come too late and the league has already been determined.
Cause to be fearful: This may very well be the title decider. If there are twists and turns that favour Arsenal, proper it may all come right down to this sport. Keep in mind Michael Thomas and 1989? A 2-0 Arsenal win at Anfield snatched the First Division within the remaining sport of the season. It received’t be as dramatic, but it surely may have the identical consequence.
Present place: tenth
Final 5 outcomes: WWDLD
Cause to be cheerful: Except for hoping the earlier sport has gone to plan, Brighton are a aspect that need to go toe-to-toe with opponents in a footballing sense. The tactical tweaks and second-half adjustments Slot made within the 2-1 victory in November modified the sport. It was an essential lesson and it ought to assist preparations.
Cause to be fearful: Fabian Hurzeler’s aspect outplayed Liverpool within the first 45 minutes of the match earlier this season and so they have been unlucky to not have an even bigger lead at half-time, repeatedly slicing by means of their opponents and creating some wonderful possibilities. Brighton are inconsistent, but when their attackers are firing then they’re a pressure.
Present place: thirteenth
Final 5 outcomes: WLWDD
Cause to be cheerful: Hopefully this will probably be a day of celebration. No cellphone checking, no anxiousness, no Ilkay Gundogan and Manchester Metropolis inflicting mayhem. Even when Liverpool want a consequence, they are going to be robust favourites — and on remaining days of current seasons, have at all times finished their job, even when it has led to nothing.
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Cause to be fearful: Palace’s 1-0 victory final season was the beginning of Liverpool’s slide out of title competition. They’ve had a unusually outstanding position in a few of Liverpool’s largest current setbacks, coming from 3-0 down to attract 3-3 because the title ebbed away in 2013-14, spoiling Steven Gerrard’s Anfield farewell by profitable 3-1 in 2015 and inflicting a primary Liverpool defeat for Klopp a 12 months later.
(High photograph: Darren Staples/AFP by way of Getty Photographs)
Andrew Jones is a Workers Author for The Athletic masking Burnley FC and Liverpool FC. Having graduated from the College of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours Diploma in Sports activities Journalism, Andrew has had written work revealed for the Liverpool Echo, Chelsea FC and Preston North Finish. Observe Andy on Twitter @adjones_journo

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