Empire of the Kop
·3 December 2024
In partnership with
Yahoo sportsEmpire of the Kop
·3 December 2024
Ian Wright believes that only one thing can stop Liverpool from winning the Premier League title this season.
The Reds have won 11 of their first 13 top-flight games under Arne Slot to open up a commanding nine-point lead at the summit, with their latest victory seeing them outclass champions Manchester City.
LFC’s outstanding form is even more impressive when considering that they’ve been without some key players for several weeks, with Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa not featuring since mid-October, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate have missed matches recently.
Speaking on The Kelly & Wrighty Show for Optus Sport, the former Arsenal striker has claimed that only a severe injury crisis to Liverpool’s most important players could scupper their charge for a second Premier League title.
Wright said: “It will only be injuries to key players now. Not even the goalie; they don’t even have their main goalkeeper, but with the way [Caoimhin] Kelleher is playing, you wouldn’t believe Alisson can make better saves.
“You have to think to yourself, that’s the only thing. Even if they do have a mishap like [the 0-1 defeat to Nottingham] Forest, since then it’s been nothing, faultless. I believe they’ve kicked into a position now where you need to chase them; they need to lose three or four. I can’t see it.”
(Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
Liverpool are certainly in a position of firm authority in the Premier League title race, although the in-form Arsenal and Chelsea will have their sights set on closing the gap during a hectic December, with six more rounds of fixtures before the end of the month.
The Reds have seamlessly navigated injuries to the likes of Alisson and Jota so far, but we can see why Wright has pointed to that being the one factor which could derail our hopes of lifting the trophy in May.
Man City’s recent demise isn’t purely down to the loss of Rodri to a season-ending ACL injury, but it’s certainly been a prominent reason for their post-Halloween collapse.
Liverpool have become worryingly threadbare in defence with Konate, Conor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas all sidelined, and the relentless fixture schedule throws up the distinct possibility of further names joining that list over the coming weeks.
However, if one team in the 2024/25 Premier League looks capable of absorbing such body blows and still finding a way to pick up results consistently, it’s the one which currently has a nine-point lead at the summit of the table.