It is so remarkable, that for once, even Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville are in unison.
In their ruthless dissection of an Arsenal side who were foolish enough to believe their opponents were there for the taking, Liverpool have closed to a single point behind Manchester City, and both now agree: they are title favourites. Diogo Jota put it even more forcefully. “Nine games, nine finals, I believe we can do it,” he said as the Reds secured their ninth straight Premier League victory, a run which has seen them close that gap to City from 14 points to one.
Yet behind that headline-grabbing statement, there is a simple reason for renewed confidence Liverpool can overhaul an opponent with a squad widely recognised as the greatest in football history. It is their own evolution from a wonderful first XI backed by an adequate squad, to a unit that almost matches City’s incredible - mind-bogglingly expensive - depth of talent.
Klopp spoke calmly about that change in his squad, and particularly his forward line this season, after the win in London which illustrated his words perfectly, as he was able to bring Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino from the bench to skewer Arsenal. “We now have the chance to (make) changes - it is the first time we have it. Usually years ago it was like Sadio and Mo played all the time and Bobby pretty much all the time or Divock played. That was the situation.
“Maybe that is the reason we were never in more competitions. If you want to be a striker for Liverpool you have to work your socks off in each game, defend hard. That is why we change, to give us fresh legs - and now we can.” It is a hugely important point, because it will be the key factor now in the title race. Both City and Liverpool are still in three competitions, so the destination of the Premier League trophy may well be decided by which team is the freshest.
City’s ability to outspend all rivals gave them a massive edge in that respect. Over the past decade, the Manchester club have had by far the best record in the last two months of the season for a good reason. Their squad is so much better than any other rival. Even in the season where Liverpool beat them to the title, 2019-20, City had a better record over the last 10 games. Now though, there is a case to be made to put Klopp’s squad on a more equal footing.
His front five is every bit as good as Guardiola’s, some would say better. They have nine midfielders vying for three places, and their defence has depth once more after the freak injury-ravaged nightmare of last season.
It is depth up front though, that could well decide it, and Jota believes that’s where Liverpool’s edge will come from. “It allows us to rotate a little bit more and have that extra energy. We are in all competitions, we have a lot of games and everybody will be important.” Jota finished by saying these are “exciting days” for Liverpool. The performance of all five forwards at Arsenal suggested why.
