Since there is not a Premier League game this weekend as we are in the International Break, now is a good time to look at the season so far and give some analysis. Is Liverpool's season over?
NO! No, no, no, no NO!
Ok, I got that out of the way. You wouldn't know this listening to critics, or even worse, some Liverpool supporters. You would think it was May and Liverpool were in 12th place and the title and Top 4 finish are out of the question. That is NOT the case!
This article isn't meant to excuse the results thus far, or to claim all is well. It is not predicting a title season for Liverpool. What it is stating is that title aspirations are still valid, the season is very much alive, and there is a lot of football to be played.
Sure, Liverpool have shown their faults. It all starts with the defense. Too many soft goals have been conceded. This is not debatable. The naysayers will point to this and say the season is lost. The defense cannot improve. They just don't have the talent. That is the easy storyline.
No doubt, Liverpool need to player better defensively......as a TEAM. This is not solely on the defense, or the centerbacks, or the goalkeeper. All of whom need to cut out the mistakes and play better if they want to reach their potential. But so does the midfield and even the front three. Defense needs to be played for the full match by the full squad.
But, let's not pretend that Liverpool opponents have dominated the ball and chances. The issue is not the system or the defense, as for most of the game Liverpool have limited the chances of their opponent. The problem has been miscues, mistakes, and mental lapses. This needs to change. The International Break came at the perfect time and hopefully the lads will come back with a fresh attitude.
Listening to those who claim the season is over, you would think Liverpool are mid-table and far out from the top leaders. This is not the case. As "poor" as they have played, Liverpool finds themselves one game out of being potentially 3rd in the table.
Listening to the critics point to no goal scorers, no finishers, you would think Liverpool cannot find the back of the net. And while at times they have struggled to finish, this too is not true. Tottenham on the other hand are thought of as having a great start to the season with an assassin of a striker in Harry Kane. They are firing on all cylinders and are everything Liverpool is lacking according to the critics. Yet through seven games Tottenham have scored a grand total of ONE more goal than Liverpool. ONE. So as much as Liverpool have struggled to finish, they are right there with Tottenham when it comes to goals scored. Liverpool have also scored more goals than Chelsea and Arsenal who are both in the Top 5. This is with Liverpool struggling. Where will they be in this category when they are clicking?
At the break, Liverpool find themselves out of the Top 4, in 7th places in the league. However, they are just 1 point out of 4th and 2 out of 3rd. The season is not over. The Premier League is a grueling campaign with 38 matches. We have only finished 7 games, less than 20% of the schedule and people are ready to write-off Liverpool. It is pure nonsense.
What's funny, is the same people writing Liverpool off are ready to hand the title to Manchester United. Seriously this is beyond ridiculous. There is so much love for Untied these days you'd think they finished an entire season undefeated. They have not. They haven't even finished any part of their schedule with any type of challenge. Let's break it down.
Liverpool have played two teams in the top 5 in Manchester City and Arsenal. In those games, Liverpool have a win and a loss. Manchester United have played ZERO games against a club in the top 5.....or in the top TEN! In fact, 5 of United's 7 games have been played against teams that are in the BOTTOM SIX of the table. United have played all of the teams at the bottom of the table with the exception of Bournemouth.
Manchester United have not been tested. It is one thing to look good and get results against the top clubs, but to do it against the bottom of the table is far from impressive. When United come to Anfield after the break it will be their first test.
What about like opponents? Liverpool and United have played a couple of the same clubs in Leicester City and Crystal Palace. Both clubs went 2-0 against them. But those two were the ONLY two games Liverpool have played against a team in the second half of the table. ALL of Manchester United's games, on the other hand, have been against the bottom half of the table.
Liverpool have played 5 games against clubs in the top 10 of the table to United's zero. The average position in the table of their opponents for Liverpool is 9.4. For Manchester United it is 15.8.
A similar story plays out when you examine Tottenham's schedule. Again, this is a club that people think are flying high while Liverpool are struggling yet Spurs are just 2 points ahead of the Reds. Tottenham have played 3 top 10 clubs and have a win, a loss, and a tie to show for it. Four of their games have been against the bottom half of the table. Their biggest win is against the 9th placed team in New Castle. Liverpool's is against 5th place Arsenal. Neither Tottenham nor United have beaten anybody remotely close to the top 5.
The point of this is not to claim Liverpool is without flaws. There are deficiencies and issues that need to be addressed if they truly have title aspirations. But, there is plenty of time left to correct the issues and to push for such honors. If Liverpool are to compete with the best of the Premier League they will need to put together a run of consecutive wins where they are picking up all 3 points and no longer settle for a tie.
Liverpool still have over 80% of their schedule to right things. And their next two league matches are at home against Manchester Untied and away against Tottenham. Picking up two wins would be huge and would catapult Liverpool back in the top 4 and completely change the narrative. Three of United's next four matches are against Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea. They haven't faced any tough challenge but are about to enter a grueling stretch of their schedule.
It is easy to over-react after a poor stretch but the season is a marathon and there will be ups and downs. Even after a down, Liverpool find themselves in decent positioning and are on the cusp of greatness, both on the pitch and on the table. Sit back, it's a long ride.