Is this the year Liverpool finally wins the Premier League?
The 30-year title drought could be finally over at the end of the current season, as Liverpool currently looks comfortable on the top of the Premier League table and extremely focused in bringing the trophy to Anfield Road. The last time the club has won the league title in England goes back to 1989-90, when the competition was still called the “Football League First Division”. On that year, the Reds were managed by Kenny Dalglish and finished first ahead of Aston Villa (2nd) and Tottenham Hotspur (3rd). Two years later (1992), the league was rebranded to “Premier League” and Liverpool still chases their first trophy under the competition’s new name.
But it’s not like Liverpool has been completely out of the race title during this 30-year drought and during that time, there have been great betting opportunities to UK players to capitalise on. We don’t even need to rewind the tape a lot in order to point out a couple good examples.
Every Liverpool fan certainly remebers the 2013-14 season and the famous “Gerard slip“. In that year, the Reds were on the very top of the Premier League table with just 3 fixtures left for the end of the competition, when a home loss against Chelsea jeopardized everything. The key moment of that game (and of the entire season) was precisely when Liverpool’s captain, Steven Gerrard, slipped near the halfway line and allowed Chelsea to grab the lead. From that moment onwards, the Reds lost most of their confidence and would end up losing the title to Manchester City.
Last season (2018-19) was also a bit frustrating for Liverpool fans in terms of their domestic ambitions. They may have won the UEFA Champions League after beating Tottenham Hotspur in the final, but once again, they finished behind Manchester City in the Premier League. It was a peculiar season however, as the Citizens were only 2 points short of beating their own record for the most points in a single season (100 points, in 2017-18), and Liverpool finished second with 97 points, which set a record for the most points ever earned for a Premier League runner-up. Jurgen Klopp’s men only lost a single game in the league in the entire season, but Manchester City’s consistency was just too much to handle and Guardiola would be crowned English champion for the second year in a row.
This season (2019-20) and even though we only completed 8 fixtures so far, everything suggests it could finally be Liverpool’s year. Jurgen Klopp looks determined in wrapping up the Premier League more than anything else, especially after having already won the UEFA Champions League title last season and easing the pressure for delivering results in European challenges. The Reds are leading the Premier League table in the beginning of October, with 8 wins in 8 games. Their biggest contenders are likely to be Manchester City once again, but Guardiola’s side has already slipped quite a few times and has already fallen 8 points behind Liverpool… Will it be enough for Liverpool to hold on and finish their first league title in the past 30 years?
Sources: skysports.com / bbc.com