"If you asked me before the season, I wouldn't say we were a title contender, but now it seems like that," Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister said after the win over Aston Villa. With a 5-point gap between The Kop and the second-placed team, that is increasingly undeniable.
Are Liverpool the number 1 candidate for the Premier League title this year? They won't say that, not just because coach Arne Slot is not confident enough. The Reds led the Premier League last season for more days than any other team. But that is completely meaningless when Manchester City became the champion.
Slot has rationalized Liverpool's 15-game win streak by arguing that Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea could do the same. The Citizens have always had a strong withdrawal in recent seasons, but now, are they still a constant winning machine?
Currently, Liverpool is a big unusual among the four clubs participating in the Champions League this season in England. Man City and Aston Villa have both lost their last four games in all competitions, while Arsenal have also lost three of their four.
All of that could be a warning for Liverpool, with similar recession awaiting them. If so, the rankings will have a different look. With the competition of the Premier League and a tight schedule, almost every club will fall into a crisis.
Of course, the scale of the crisis will depend on each team. Perhaps, the title will be decided by consistency rather than excellence.
In Liverpool's last 7 matches against Chelsea, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Brighton (2 times), Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa, they have won 6 and drawn 1 match. Meanwhile, in the next 4/5 matches, they will have to face Real Madrid, Man City, Newcastle and Everton. These were all tough tests for Slot.
Up to now, the "Red Brigade" has passed the tests at many different levels. Sometimes it's great, sometimes just enough. The fact that 5 of their victories have a 1-goal gap shows that they are not always superior to their opponents.
However, Liverpool defended impressively, scoring only 10 goals in 15 matches. Compared to when Jurgen Klopp was in charge, Liverpool are now much more solid but still maintain impressive comebacks. They have been led by AC Milan, West Ham, Arsenal and Brighton, but still have won 3 and drawn 1 match.
"If I look at the upcoming games, they are all very difficult. Overall, it will be a difficult season. The gap is very small, we have a gap, but it is very small. There will be many challenges for us," Slot said cautiously about Liverpool's title.
