Liverpool have moved into first place in the Premier League after a 4-2 victory over a slumping Newcastle United. All six goals were scored in the second half with Mohamed Salah's two goals, including one from the penalty spot, not only sealing the victory but also putting Salah level with Manchester City striker Erling Haaland in the race for the league's top scorer award; both now have 14 league goals this season.
Having endured a difficult 2022-23 season which saw them fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since the 2015-16 season, Liverpool have undoubtedly bounced back. During the past off-season, the Reds embarked on a large-scale overhaul following the departures of multiple key players. Despite signing just four players, Liverpool spent a significant amount of money to bring them to Anfield - over £140 million in total with the standout signings being Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Despite such a large outlay, however, the majority of Liverpool's success this season has been driven by a resurgence from the players they already had, with the notable exception of Szoboszlai who has more than hit the ground running since his arrival. Virgil van Dijk has arguably been playing at his highest level since his ACL tear in 2020, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has reclaimed his spot as the best full-back in the Premier League.
Even the much-criticized Darwin Núñez has been solid. After a difficult first season at Liverpool, the Uruguayan striker has started to find himself in more of a playmaking role - something which has seemed to work for him this season. Although Núñez isn't any more prolific in front of goal, he has already amassed six assists in league play with just over half the season completed.
And then there's the main man himself. Salah is on pace for what might be his best individual season in his already legendary Liverpool career. Currently leading the league in goals and assists, Salah is unquestionably the leading contender to win his third PFA Player of the Year award. At this point, Salah is not only part of Liverpool's Mount Rushmore - there should now be a genuine discussion about whether the Egyptian is the greatest player in the club's storied history.
Before the season began, many assumed that as has so often been the case in recent years, City would pull away from the pack and run away with the league title. This has certainly not been the case - and on top of that, the only club in the past six seasons to have broken City's stranglehold on the Premier League is the one which tops the league right now. Unlike Arsenal or Aston Villa, many of Liverpool's players know what it takes to win the league title and have been through countless duels with the Citizens which their counterparts from other title rivals have not - and that could very well make all the difference.
That being said, a highly pressing issue is once again about to befall Liverpool. Salah will soon depart for Côte d'Ivoire to represent his country in the Africa Cup of Nations. If Liverpool are able to remain in the lead or within touching distance of it once Salah returns from AFCON, they would certainly have a realistic chance of denying City an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title. However, a significant drop-off following Salah's departure could ruin their bid to equal arch-rivals Manchester United's tally of 20 league titles.
It might be advisable for Liverpool to pursue anpther striker, most likely one who would come on a loan deal, during the January transfer window to give their attacking force the short-term boost it needs. The next few weeks will be critical towards Liverpool's title challenge - both on the field and in the transfer market.
It's clear by now that for Liverpool, the struggles of last season were an outlier. The last time they were playing this well for an extended period like this were in their 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons when they won a Premier League and a Champions League title. But can they take it all the way and win the league once again? It remains to be seen; however, at the moment things are trending towards "why not them?"
No comments:
Post a Comment