I doubt if there is any football fan anywhere in the world who still doubt the possibility of Liverpool lifting the English Premier league this season. The European Champions had lost the league title to Manchester City last season, despite leading the table with seven points going into the Christmas break. It was as though history kept coming back to haunt Liverpool as they surrendered their lead to a high-flying Pep Guardiolar's City, who mounted pressure on the reds till they toppled them. City will later go on to win the league with just one point over Liverpool, it was really painful, but thanks to Champions League glory which is a bigger prize for any Club in the World. This season, Liverpool even got better and are motivated to reclaim the league City stole from under their nose last season. With the European Champions having learnt their lessons never to rule out possibilities in the game of football, they have decided not to leave any stone unturned in their quest to lift any trophy that comes their way. It's 20 league games down already and Liverpool are topping the log with 58 points, meaning they are 13 points adrift from second place Leicester City who are enjoying their season with 45 points from 21 matches. The defending Champions Manchester City who are the supposed league rivals to Liverpool seem to have thrown in the towel as regards the league, and are now more focused in Europe, though they still need to be wary of the top 4. With Manchester City out of sight, Liverpool are just few steps away from lifting a trophy that have eluded them for years. After comfortably securing a 2-0 over Sheffield United yesterday, I have no reservations that Klopp's side have got their eyes on a treble this season.
Against Sheffield, it was of course Salah and Mane have did what they know how to do best. The two African strikers alongside their Brazilian partner Firmino, have proved to be the most powerful trio in Europe so far, Maybe this season. Salah's goal against Sheffield was his 10th of the season and the Egyptian also has four assist so far. As for the Senegalese Mane, the in form forward remains one of Liverpool's deadliest weapon and have scored 11 league goals for the reds this season, with 6 assists to show for his impact. The African duo are up for Africa's player of the year award, and I think it's definitely gonna be a tough decision. However, I feel Sadio Mane has an upper hand in terms of goals and assist, and the Senegalese came fourth in the just concluded Ballon d'Or awards. With the League already secured, Liverpool will now have to extend their stellar form to the FA Cup and even more in their quest to defend their Champions League title. No doubt, the possibility of a treble is in sight, but I know Klopp is aware of the rocky road in Europe. With the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, PSG, Real Madrid etc all in contention to lift the Trophy, the defending Champions will have to double their impact to keep their treble hope alive. First of all, they have got Diego Someone's Athletico Madrid to contend with in the round of 16, a fixture many fans think will push Liverpool to their elastic limit. While they appear all fired up domestically, Klopp's side aren't that convincing in Europe yet, and their group stage adventure may have opened them for teams to take advantage of whatever crack they may have noticed. In all, the Treble is all still possible, it's now a question of whether Liverpool can go all the way.
Comments