Why Liverpool CAN still caught in EPL title race with tough away trips looming?

Either Arne Slot is enjoying the longest honeymoon in history or his Liverpool side is the real deal.

Premier League leaders have made a strong case for the latter in recent weeks, with impressive wins over the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and, most recently, Manchester City.

A record of eleven wins, one draw and one defeat in their first thirteen Premier League games under the Dutchman, who has mocked pre-season talk about the difficulty of following a dynastic manager, has left Liverpool with a massive lead of scored nine points. the top of the rankings.

No team has failed to lift the trophy in May from such an impressive position.

After the Reds' impressive 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola's out-of-control team, Opta's supercomputer boosted their chances of winning their twentieth top-flight title to a whopping 83.7 percent.

But of course that's less than 16.3 percent and with two-thirds of the season still to play, there are likely plenty of pitfalls ahead. Mail Sport investigates the reasons why Slot's machine could be caught.

INJURIES

“People only talk about injuries when the results aren't there,” the Liverpool boss said ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester City. The Reds were without six first-team players for the match, more than their opponents, and their situation does not appear to be improving any time soon.

News broke on Sunday that Conor Bradley, who put in a stellar performance against Real Madrid last week, could be out until the new year, while Ibrahima Konate will be sidelined for an extended period. Add to that the problems of Kostas Tsimikas and Alisson Becker and the Reds look incredibly thin in the backline.

Slot bluntly admitted that 'five defenders for four positions in a month like this is far from ideal'. The brutal schedule only increases as the year draws to a close.

Joe Gomez's performance against the Premier League champions showed the quality of Liverpool's squad, but another defensive injury could seriously derail their attack. That counts double if Mohamed Salah were unavailable for a longer period of time.

PRE-CHRISTMAS RUN

'Liverpool have had no real test' was the common refrain after their fast start to the season. But after twenty games and having defeated a host of tough opponents, the Reds have now passed that test in the eyes of most spectators.

However, there remain a host of potential banana peels in the weeks leading up to Christmas, with the first arriving in Newcastle on Wednesday before the final Goodison Park Merseyside derby on Saturday.

In addition, there are clashes against both Fulham and Tottenham, teams that on their day are certainly capable of taking points from the leaders.

THE HUNTING PACKAGE

Once Liverpool had effectively ended Manchester City's title challenge, attention turned to the new most likely contenders. Chelsea and Arsenal are their closest challengers, with both clubs nine points behind the Reds after recording confident wins this weekend.

But it will be Mikel Arteta's side that will worry Liverpool and their fans the most. Arsenal were terrifying for 35 minutes against West Ham. Their unstoppable corners, the brilliance of Martin Odegaard and the consistency of Bukayo Saka were on full display as they blew the Hammers away.

West Ham's frenzied ten minutes sweetened the scoreline and angered Arteta to no end, but this should not detract from his side's ability to be truly irresistible on their day. Since their captain's return, the Gunners have put three past Nottingham Forest and five past Sporting and the Hammers.

Arsenal need to make a big run and hope the Reds make a mistake and now look capable of delivering on their promise.

As for Chelsea, the 2024/25 season may have arrived too early for their young squad, who appear to be finally clicking and ready to compete for years to come. Perhaps the Blues can shock the league and claim an unlikely title, but their only point from three games against City, Liverpool and Arsenal shows they are not quite at that level yet.

CONTRACT DERIVATIONS

In many ways it is remarkable that Liverpool have been able to get through the opening months of the season with contract uncertainty hanging over the heads of three of their stars.

And it's not like the situation hasn't come under the intense attention of the media and football fans. After Salah's double against Southampton last week, he made a b-line to a group of reporters to inform them of his 'disappointment' that no one at the club has spoken to him about a new contract, while his parting comment of 'I'm more out than inside' has already been discussed extensively.

But Salah's contract situation doesn't appear to be hampering his performances this season, and the same can be said for Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. All three are playing their best football in years.

However, it's just as easy to imagine a world where this could quickly become an issue, especially as January 1 approaches and the trio are free to negotiate contracts with foreign clubs. Just think of the near-constant speculation that will surround them during the winter transfer window.

That's the last thing Slot wants. Well, except for the fact that they lose all three for nothing at the end of the campaign.

DOMESTIC CUP RUNS

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher floated the idea that his old side should look to rotate their squad heavily in domestic cup matches to prioritize the Premier League and Champions League.

This is of course a well-trodden path for elite teams, whose squads are packed with quality at every position. But with injuries already plaguing the team, forcing Slot to choose from an even smaller group of players, it might be advisable to let the kids run again, just as they did with great success last season.

Mid-season, the Reds travel to the south coast to take on Southampton in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. Judging by their recent league performance, it won't be easy.

Should they go through, they will face a two-legged semi-final in the new year, with their opponents likely to be Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham or Newcastle.

The Liverpool boss may get a chance to change sides when they take on League Two strugglers Accrington Stanley at Anfield in the third round of the FA Cup.

Slot would like to get his first taste of success as Liverpool boss as soon as possible, but if he spreads his squad too thin they could end up empty-handed come May.

THE PRESSURE

Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, who was painfully beaten to the Premier League crown by his former boss over the past two seasons, gave Liverpool some advice after their flying start. It is unclear whether the Spaniard has forgotten that the Reds squad contains a core of players who have beaten the Citizens. In fact, the Anfield club are the only team to have disrupted City's monopoly in the last seven years.

“We've been there and it's extremely difficult to last 10 months. Everything has to go your way,” he told reporters ahead of the Gunners' London derby against West Ham. 'Just when you think you've got it, pop! Everything collapses. Results can change due to injuries, decisions and it can happen at any time. You have to be ready for that, but it's something you can't always control. The only thing you have control over is doing the best you can.”

One thing he didn't mention, but he alludes to anyway, is the pressure. More specifically: the pressure to be a leader. During the 2022/2023 season, Arsenal led the league for 248 days, the most in history for a team that failed to win the English top-flight title.

Last season it was Liverpool who spent most days at the top, leading for 11 days longer than the Gunners and City could manage. But ultimately it was Guardiola's side who looked down on their challengers when all was said and done.

The task for this current crop of Liverpool players is different. The gap between first and second place – a gap larger than that between second and thirteenth – raises enormous expectations. Increasingly, every minute of every match will be scrutinized, every missed point will feel like three and May will seem like an eternity away.

Fortunately for the Anfield club, they have a recent example of a side that itself prevailed under that intense pressure five years ago.