ANFIELD awaits. A Saturday 3pm kick off against 10th-placed opposition. The chance to regain top spot in the league against a team that has just won three games out of 12 on the road in the competition this season. A team that has never won a game away at Liverpool FC.
The Reds will feel confident having gone unbeaten in 33 home league games. This is Fortress Anfield after all. It’s the same as it ever was, right? This is what Liverpool do. It’s where they belong, where they should be. What this club is about.
But. Yet. Well, actually…
Rival fans in August: "This season's title race is so one-sided you may as well give City the title now."
Rival fans in February, when LFC are level on points with a game in hand: "Liverpool are bottling the title."
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) February 7, 2019
The kick-off time, that home record, and the fact The Reds can return to the top of the league may give the match with Bournemouth an old-school feel, but much has changed since this was something that could be taken for granted by Liverpool fans.
Once, winning things was routine. It was the standard. It was why Ronnie Moran could throw title medals around the dressing room telling the players to take one “if you think you deserve one”. That was a source of motivation for the players under his watch. It reinforced the standards expected, reminded them of the mark set by a succession of teams in red.
The Reds' last title was clinched in April 1990 with a 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers. The Anfield victory was enough to wrap it up with games to spare as nearest rivals for the crown, Aston Villa, only managed a draw against Norwich City.
While Liverpool's tenth league title in 15 seasons was enthusiastically celebrated on the pitch – particularly after the heartbreak of losing it on the last day the season before – off it the Anfield crowd numbered only 37,758.
Ian Rush knows a thing or two about winning trophies at Liverpool
The Reds legend believes the current squad have the spirit required to win the title pic.twitter.com/kV71g1qXgx
— Goal (@goal) February 7, 2019
While now the talk for a younger generation is quite how you celebrate a title after a wait as long as this, for many of those who were there that day, they talk of it feeling a little flat. Like it was good, they will tell you, but they just went home, had a cup of tea, and said, “The Reds, ey, champions again…”.
Even the newspaper reports from the time lack fizz. A headline in The Times read: “Liverpool are champions but the champagne is flatter this year.” And a Guardian report pondered: “…you have to wonder about the overall strength of a First Division which is so consistently dominated by one club.”
Fact was, everyone was a bit blase about Liverpool winning matches, topping leagues and lifting titles. If only they knew what was to follow. Which brings us to the here and now. A time when the opportunity to return to the top of the league on Saturday seems to be a source of stress for some.
Don’t get me wrong, I get it. It could and should have been Liverpool still leading the way. The draws with Leicester City and West Ham United were painful to watch and only accelerated the talk of ‘what ifs’ and ‘oh nos’.
But it always must be put in the context of what has come before in recent history. Challenging Manchester City for the title is not easily done. Look at the table right now and ask Manchester United or Arsenal. Yet Liverpool are doing it. And doing it well.
“Liverpool are feeling the pressure of the title race.”
Van Dijk and Firmino: pic.twitter.com/nSfZn4auc1
— JP (@JurgenPressed) February 7, 2019
The pile-on pundits who switch their opinions as much as people switch channels when they’re on will inevitably jump on any sign of weakness. Fans of other clubs, again, inevitably, will do the same. It seems right now that Liverpool are the ‘crisis club’ of choice for many.
Yet while Manchester City fans and Everton supporters gleefully joined hands for a chorus of “Jurgen’s cracking up” at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, the facts continue to suggest otherwise.
Liverpool’s current rate of point-gathering this season puts them on course for the third highest points total in the Premier League era – and the best in the entire 127-year history of the club.
Meanwhile, the current challenge for the title – which seems to be generating much angst and frustration for many – has to be put in the context of Liverpool’s performances in the league since that last time a title was toasted 29 long years ago. Then, Liverpool were it. The club. The team. A swagger was built on a machine-like winning of trophies.
Since then, in 28 attempts, Liverpool have finished as runners-up in the league only four times, third five times and fourth seven times. A finish of fifth has come around twice, sixth four times, seventh three times and eighth three times. Eighth! The last eighth was in 2016.
This is the one of the best Liverpool sides in recent years, and we should be enjoying every single minute of watching them going for this league title.
— Spion Kop 1906 (@SpionKop1906) February 6, 2019
Throw in Manchester United’s dominant rein in the interim years, heartbreaking near misses, bad managers, crap players, the tears of a talisman and owners that threatened to send the club tumbling out of the league at one point, and it’s easy to see where the anxiety stems from.
Yet this side is bringing us joy. More need to let it in. This team has exceeded expectations. The club has kept pace in the league with, and can continue to outstrip this season, a club that has been transformed beyond all recognition by owners that have their sights on creating a legacy recognised across the world. And they are prepared to attempt to achieve that aim by whatever means necessary, as the fuss around Financial Fair Play has demonstrated.
Meanwhile, Manchester City’s manager, despite the headlines, the banter, the songs and the endless social media posts mocking Liverpool for failing in a title race that shows 13 jumps to go, isn’t quite so confident and cocky.
They may have returned to the summit with the win at Everton but it’s by the football equivalent of a cigarette paper. And it seems Pep Guardiola isn’t quite ready to crack the champagne.
"Four or five days ago we could have been seven points behind. It is a lesson to never give up…We have an incredible test on Sunday against Chelsea"
– Pep Guardiola#EVEMCI pic.twitter.com/ir0AQiebpL
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 6, 2019
After the match at Goodison Park, he said: “We have 12 games to play, there are a lot of points to play for and we will drop points between now and the end of the season, hopefully as little as possible and less than Liverpool. I don’t think any team is going to win 12 games in a row.”
He can see it isn’t over. You can bet based on their defiant answers that James Milner and Andy Robertson don’t think it’s over either. So why the extreme views? Why the whinging and whining? Why the doom-mongering? And if you don’t do that, why listen to those that do?
By Saturday 5pm Liverpool can be back on top of the league. And on Saturday at 3pm, we get to show the team what we think of their season so far.
Anfield awaits. So come let us adore them.
