I do not have an abiding conviction that Manchester City has the nous to take advantage of Liverpool's squeaky bums and snatch the title. City have their eyes set on Europe and they are distracted. Liverpool are just shitting their pants. This could be a "After you Alphonse, no, after you Gaston" to see who gets out the door. City cannot afford another loss. History says no team has won the EPL with more than four losses and City are at four now. History says Liverpool goes wooly in the knees in this situation. City are not playing like champions. A Tremendous Machine does not lose at home to Crystal Palace, away to Leicester and away to Newcastle! City's 2-0 win at Goodison Park was not destruction. Liverpool's two draws, at home to Leicester and at West Ham were indicative of their squeaky bums but they have lost once, once all season--at Manchester City! Liverpool are playing like champions; City have not been.
Liverpool play first this week, Saturday, at Anfield against Bournemouth. They should win, of course, but they should have won against Leicester and West Ham. Any points from that match, one or three, will see them go ahead of City on equal games played. City play Sunday at Etihad Stadium against a fine Chelsea squad but one that has fallen off and with a manager being questioned. I do have an abiding conviction that City will beat Chelsea and that would put them again ahead of Liverpool with one more game played. The state of Liverpool’s mindset is well-captured by these two articles in The Guardian:
…Liverpool suffer stage fright in draw
The door is starting to creak open for Manchester City. Liverpool, with the weight of history threatening to pin them down, found their title charge losing further momentum on an evening of suffocating tension. Even the gift of an offside goal was not enough to extinguish the nerves choking the Premier League’s pacesetters…
This was the second successive game Liverpool were gripped by stage fright…
…
City can smell blood in the water.
…
These are the occasions when elite players prove their class. The contest had become a test of Liverpool’s mettle and they needed more from Mohamed Salah in the second half…
Liverpool started to rush their passes. Team-mates glared at each other…
When it was over Klopp held an agitated conversation with Pellegrini on the touchline.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/04/west-ham-united-liverpool-premier-league-match-report
Players take their emotional cues from their manager and Klopp did an "How dare you" to Pellegrini for taking his points from him.
At the end of this tight, fretful 1-1 draw…
…
…something has shifted here for Jürgen Klopp’s team.
…
[When West Ham leveled] Manuel Pellegrini barely flinched, features betraying just a glint of some ancient weathered joy.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/feb/05/tension-top-liverpool-creaking-defence-west-ham-premier-league
The game in hand that Liverpool have is...at Old Trafford against Manchester United, their fiercest historical rivals who are resurgent under new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Liverpool will lose their second match in the season there.
The death's dance between these two contenders will continue until one stumbles out of formation again, one time too many, or the other effectively refuses to answer the bell to continue.
Liverpool play first this week, Saturday, at Anfield against Bournemouth. They should win, of course, but they should have won against Leicester and West Ham. Any points from that match, one or three, will see them go ahead of City on equal games played. City play Sunday at Etihad Stadium against a fine Chelsea squad but one that has fallen off and with a manager being questioned. I do have an abiding conviction that City will beat Chelsea and that would put them again ahead of Liverpool with one more game played. The state of Liverpool’s mindset is well-captured by these two articles in The Guardian:
…Liverpool suffer stage fright in draw
The door is starting to creak open for Manchester City. Liverpool, with the weight of history threatening to pin them down, found their title charge losing further momentum on an evening of suffocating tension. Even the gift of an offside goal was not enough to extinguish the nerves choking the Premier League’s pacesetters…
This was the second successive game Liverpool were gripped by stage fright…
…
City can smell blood in the water.
…
These are the occasions when elite players prove their class. The contest had become a test of Liverpool’s mettle and they needed more from Mohamed Salah in the second half…
Liverpool started to rush their passes. Team-mates glared at each other…
When it was over Klopp held an agitated conversation with Pellegrini on the touchline.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/04/west-ham-united-liverpool-premier-league-match-report
Players take their emotional cues from their manager and Klopp did an "How dare you" to Pellegrini for taking his points from him.
At the end of this tight, fretful 1-1 draw…
…
…something has shifted here for Jürgen Klopp’s team.
…
[When West Ham leveled] Manuel Pellegrini barely flinched, features betraying just a glint of some ancient weathered joy.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2019/feb/05/tension-top-liverpool-creaking-defence-west-ham-premier-league
The game in hand that Liverpool have is...at Old Trafford against Manchester United, their fiercest historical rivals who are resurgent under new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Liverpool will lose their second match in the season there.
The death's dance between these two contenders will continue until one stumbles out of formation again, one time too many, or the other effectively refuses to answer the bell to continue.
