The Reds are on the march.
They smell blood, and they smell trophies.
We know this team are capable of winning 17 in a row. They have done that. We know they can win 24 out of 25 league matches. They have done that. They are at their best when believing that their backs are against the walls. They are at their best under pressure. Under these conditions, their laser focus can remain locked in for months at a time.
Indeed, even last season, with a squad that lacked ANY senior center backs, the Reds managed to go unbeaten over their last 10 Premier League matches, with only two draws. They did that to nose their way into qualifying for this season’s Champions League. They did it because they needed to do it.
Now, they need to do it again. The Reds have 13 league matches left, including tomorrow’s clash with Leeds. They have already won their last five matches, since drawing with Chelsea on January 2. They may need to win the remaining 13 matches to win the league. And even that would not guarantee them the title, because if City wins all of its remaining games other than the Liverpool match, the two teams will both finish with 96 points, and the league will be decided by goal difference.
Meanwhile, the Reds are not only in the hunt for a league title, but are also hoping to capture three cup titles, including the club’s seventh Big-Ears trophy. Every remaining game on the schedule will either actually be an elimination match, or it will at least feel like one.
The Reds are on the march.
LFC have not dropped points this season when Thiago started the match. Indeed, in his 11 starts, LFC have scored 29 goals and allowed only two. On Saturday against Norwich, he came off the bench and was so good that he was my Man of the Match, despite not having a direct involvement in any of the three goals. He CONTROLS proceedings. He controls tempo. He controls space. He manages the game and conducts the team as the best maestro in the world. If Thiago — along with VVD, Trent, Fabinho, and Salah — can all stay healthy, Liverpool will win multiple trophies this season. Oh, yeah—apparently Fabinho and Thiago traveled together to Leeds on Sunday to watch their match against Man United. They are READY.
Van Dijk, after being merely stunningly good for the first several months of this season, is back to being untouchable. Invincible. Unbelievable. He lifts the team to different levels.
Now comes the most important match of the season.
Leeds will visit Anfield with an ongoing injury crisis, and with the threat of relegation quite real. But, despite all of that, and despite facing one of the two or three best teams in the world, we can count on Marcelo Bielsa’s squad to play the way that they play. They will press man to man, they will constantly swap positions. They will run and run and run. And they will constantly be a threat. They pose much different problems than Norwich or almost any other bottom-half team. They will do nothing that even approaches parking the bus tomorrow. If we lose concentration, Leeds will likely punish us. Leeds are capable of doing the same thing that Aston Villa did to us last season. Get a few goals, get a few lucky bounces and deflections, and they could not only win, they could win by a landslide.
But none of that is likely. If any opponent violates the Fundamental Theorem of Poker against Liverpool, it is Leeds United. Liverpool will be licking its chops at the prospect of facing Leeds, especially with the game carrying such importance.
Tomorrow I think LFC will go with a strong starting lineup, after resting several players against Norwich Saturday. Both fullbacks will return, as will Thiago and Fabs. I think Hendo may be on the bench, with Harvey Elliott starting as the right center mid. Díaz, Mané, and Salah should again start in the forward line.
Predicted lineup:
LFC 3 – Leeds United 0
Up the Mighty Reds!
