The Premier League title race has had something of a familiar theme in recent years.
A team looks like challenging dominant force Manchester City, only for the Citizens to somehow always pull it out of the bag in the final few months of the season. Both Liverpool and Arsenal have experienced this scenario in recent seasons.
However, could this season bring a different scenario and a different Premier League title winner?
A potentially decisive game this weekend?
While a league title is never decided in December, Sunday’s clash between league leaders Liverpool and reigning second-place champions Manchester City on Sunday at Anfield could go a long way to determining the fate of the English top-flight crown this season.
Liverpool is currently eight points clear of City at the top of the table. Under new head coach Arne Slot, they have won ten of their first 12 league games of the season.
The Reds have been unstoppable this season, as shown by their excellent midweek 2-0 win over La Liga and European champions Real Madrid. The victory saw the Reds record their sixth straight win in all competitions.
In contrast, Manchester City have failed to win in their last six competitive games, including five defeats. Pep Guardiola’s team threw away a three-goal lead in midweek against Feyenoord in the Champions League to draw 3-3.
The collapse was catastrophic, but it is a sign of how things have been going for City in recent weeks.
One of the biggest concerns is their defensive performance. They have conceded an alarming number of goals, two or more in their six-game winless run.
At the other end of the pitch, goal machine Erling Haaland has scored just two goals in his last seven top-flight games. By his high standards, that is a crisis in front of goal.
Despite his form slipping slightly recently, the Norwegian forward is still the top Premier League goalscorer with 12 goals this season, two ahead of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in second place. He also hit a brace in the midweek draw against Feyenoord.
City head coach Guardiola will need Haaland to be at his best. He is in the midst of a run that he has never endured in his coaching career.
Turning the current run of form around could be the biggest challenge of his managerial career so far. If he does manage it, then it may also be the most significant achievement of his coaching career.
An 11-point gap at the top would be massive
This weekend’s encounter on Merseyside is massive. If Liverpool wins, then they will have an 11-point lead at the top of the table, which is massive from a psychological point of view.
An 11-point over a City team firing on all cylinders may still not be enough. However, there is a sense that City are not the same team this season. On current form, they don’t look like they could bridge that gap to Liverpool if they suffered a defeat at Anfield.
The other issue is if Liverpool can maintain their blistering form for the rest of the season. The title race is already in the hands of Liverpool because of their relentless form, so another win would only strengthen that grip on top spot.
However, it is a big ask for Slot’s team to maintain that sort of form throughout the campaign. The Reds will need a touch of luck to avoid injuries and suspensions to key players if they are to stay near their current level.
The one factor that City has on their side is that they have run this mental race on numerous occasions. They have bridged significant gaps at the top of the table to other teams, including Liverpool, to claim the title at the end of the season.
The Citizens seem to gain focus towards the final stretch of the title race and suddenly find form. However, under current circumstances, only time will tell if Guardiola’s team still has the desire, will to win and quality to get back to the sort of form that has served them so well in recent campaigns.
A title race is good for the Premier League
Manchester City has dominated the Premier League in recent years, as illustrated by winning the English top-flight title in five of the last six seasons.
However, the same team winning the title every season is slightly mundane. It does nothing for the idea of a competitive league.
A genuine title race is good for the league as a whole. It keeps people’s interest. However, if Liverpool goes 11 points clear, it’s unlikely there will be much of a title race unless City pulls off something of a miracle.
A City win at Anfield seems unlikely, considering the two teams’ contrasting form at the moment and the fact that they have won just once in 26 visitors to Anfield in all competitions.
It would likely make the title race slightly more intriguing, even if it did mean that the champions were somewhat more likely to retain their Premier League title.
In recent seasons, games between these two teams in the Premier League have been relatively tight affairs. Whatever happens this weekend, we are likely to see a game full of intrigue, personal battles, and drama.
However, history has told us never to back against City recovering from being behind in a title race. If they can avoid defeat on Merseyside, it could be the foundation of a return to form this season, which could spell danger for Liverpool if they lose focus.