The narrative can change very quickly in football.
Not so long ago, Liverpool were criticised for their apparent inertia in the transfer market. They were, detractors said, not doing the business required to defend their Premier League title.
Then they signed Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota in the space of a few days, outplayed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and all was well again.
Reactive, short-term opinions are the norm now, and claims often seem to be made with the intention of grabbing as much attention as possible.
Sometimes, though, it is simply a case of people getting carried away.
That is what must have happened earlier this month when, perhaps slightly tongue in cheek, Gary Neville predicted Manchester United would finish above Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
“I’m going to go Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, but that’s with a little bit of hope rather than science!” he told Stadium Astro when asked for his top four prediction.
Of course, Neville was aware of his own optimism, hence the caveat of “hope rather than science”. Still, it’s evidence of how a consensus can form over a short period of time, based on little more than reactionary takes on social media.
United were, towards the end of last season, the team to watch. With Bruno Fernandes making them tick, they looked good and made a late push into third place.
But this wasn’t sustained and the kind of excitement it generated was out of proportion with the reality. United’s summer has been quiet, despite the incessant rumours of a move for Jadon Sancho, and they were convincingly beaten by Crystal Palace in their first game of the campaign.
In reality, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are still some way behind Liverpool, and that shouldn’t be a surprise. There wasn’t some transformative process post-lockdown that closed the gap. United simply hit a good run of form while Liverpool slowed down with the title already secured.
Neville has now, two weeks into the new season, changed his tune. His former club, he says, must be more proactive and more intelligent in the transfer market, like Liverpool. The Reds are, according to Neville, “definite” and “precise”.
“You see Liverpool getting a player for £40m, £25m, you see other clubs do it, Werner is quite cheap compared to some of the prices of players you see in the market and United always seem to have to pay top dollar and the people at the club will not like that, almost as though they are easy pickings,” he told Sky Sports.
“There is no excuse really for not getting your transfers done before the start of the season. They need four or five players, so to only get one done… I know Liverpool have only got theirs done in the last couple of days, but there is a feeling they are in control.”
A few weeks from now, United might have won five games in a row and shifted the narrative again. That is how modern football works.
Whatever happens this year, though, the chances of Solskjaer’s team finishing above Liverpool seem slim.
Neville might have to adjust that prediction soon.
