Paul Merson has said that Liverpool could be involved in the Premier League title race to the very end if they maintain their current form, but conversely warned that their hopes of glory could evaporate within the space of five days.
The Reds’ 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday extended their lead at the top of the table to five points, albeit with Manchester City having a game in hand, but Jurgen Klopp’s side are facing into two pivotal top-flight fixtures over the coming fortnight.
Chelsea come to Anfield on 31 January, four days prior to our crucial visit to title rivals Arsenal, and the Sky Sports pundit warned that LFC’s hunt for glory could be ‘over’ if they slip up in those games, given the ominous form of Pep Guardiola’s champions.
In his latest column for the broadcaster, Merson wrote: “I won’t say Liverpool are title favourites though. City can just churn, churn and churn out wins. They can go 10 games without losing, easily. Look at them now, they’ve won eight out of their last nine matches [in all competitions].
“Their squad is just too big. They’ve had one of [Erling] Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne out since the start of the season and they’re still there. The difference between City, Liverpool and Arsenal is City can go for 10 wins in a row and nobody will pay any attention to it. If Liverpool and Arsenal do it, it’s a big thing.
“It could all be over for Liverpool in the title race in one week. They play Chelsea at home – you have no idea which Chelsea is going to turn up. They can play, so that’s a hard game.
“Then they go Arsenal away, and if it goes like the way the FA Cup game went then Arsenal will win that game. Before you know it, it’s all over for Liverpool.”
However, Merson tempered that warning by saying that Klopp’s depth of potent attacking options gives LFC a ‘massive advantage’ over the Gunners in that regard.
READ MORE: Liverpool ready to splash out £39m on Szoboszlai-esque powerhouse; he may need convincing
The double header against the two London giants certainly has the feel of a make-or-break spell for Liverpool, who’ve drawn their last seven matches against Chelsea in all competitions (excluding penalty shootouts) and failed to beat Arsenal in the three previous league meetings between the teams.
However, the Reds have much greater quality than Mauricio Pochettino’s side and are imperious at home, while it was just over a fortnight ago that we went to the Emirates Stadium and won.
If we can take maximum points from those two fixtures, that’d send out a big statement to the chasing pack, especially as it’d be achieved without Mo Salah, who’s set to be absent through injury until at least mid-February.
Even if Liverpool slip up in one of those matches, we’ll probably still be ahead of City, who visit Anfield next month in a titanic showdown which offers a chance for LFC to land a direct blow on their biggest title rivals.
The Reds’ hopes of Premier League glory could receive a huge fillip if they beat Chelsea and Arsenal, but even if we drop points against either or both, the potency of our five senior forwards (who boast 54 goals between them in all competitions this term) gives us every chance of staying in the hunt until the very end of the campaign.
🕯️ EOTK Insider: A tribute to Alex South; a remarkable man with a special Kop moment