Liverpool are quietly announcing themselves as genuine title contenders this season.
The Reds are right in the mix at the top of the Premier League table this season. 23 points puts them in fourth place after ten games, just three points below current leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
And according to Ian Wright on Optus Sports’ The Kelly & Wrighty Show, Liverpool could now be a ‘problem’ for their title rivals.
“We know that Liverpool know how to navigate a season chasing City,” Wright explained. “Now they’ve got their midfield sorted, I think it’s going to be one of the best midfields if they carry on improving like they are.
“I think that with the amount of noise around Tottenham and Arsenal and obviously City doing their stuff, it’s almost as if people are leaving Liverpool. And they should be quite happy with that, because they’ve got everything in every department to continue to challenge under the radar.
“I believe if they do get into a situation where they’re in and around it, then Liverpool are definitely a massive problem for everybody.”
Liverpool sneaking under the radar
Wright’s assessment of where Liverpool are at right now is absolutely bang on. While Tottenham, Arsenal and of course City are getting the spotlight, the Reds are quietly going about their business.
There has even been some chatter about an unlikely title charge from fifth-placed Aston Villa.
But after Liverpool’s dismal season last year, the Reds have near-enough been counted out as a potential challenger to Man City.
10 games in, and there are perhaps a few murmurings that Jurgen Klopp may have brought Liverpool back to life. But for the time being it feels like the general consensus is that they’ll fall away.
As Wright correctly points out though, Klopp is the only manager to have lasted the course against City.
Although his playing squad has changed fairly drastically since then, the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and more remain the same.
These are players who have won the lot with the club, and will be hungry to put the wrongs of last season right.
So, let’s see how Arsenal, Spurs and even Villa deal with the heat of the spotlight. Liverpool will be just fine chugging on in the background.