LONDON: Liverpool’s sizzling start to the Premier League season has left their title rivals breathless and the red-hot leaders are expected to maintain their perfect record against Newcastle on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side has seized the early initiative in the league with four successive wins to open up a two-point lead over second-placed Manchester City.
The European champions’ relentless tempo has overwhelmed Norwich, Southampton, Arsenal, and Burnley, sending a message that they are determined to make amends for narrowly failing to pip City to the trophy last season.
Arsenal’s Dani Ceballos is new to English football after joining on loan from Real Madrid and the Spain midfielder admitted to being gob-smacked at the intensity Liverpool displayed in their 3-1 victory against the Gunners in August.
“I had never seen anything like it. I’ve not seen up until now a team that plays better, that presses better. That game had quite an impact on me,” Ceballos told the Daily Mail.
“They suck the air out of you. You spend so much time defending and when you want to catch your breath and get on the ball for a bit, they’ve taken it from you again.
“I think Jurgen Klopp now has the team he first had in mind when he started four years ago.”
That glowing testimony underlines the size of the task facing City as they try to stop Liverpool winning their first English crown since 1990.
The city may have won the last two Premier League titles in scintillating fashion, but Liverpool look better than ever this term and Newcastle are unlikely to halt their progress at Anfield this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s team are unbeaten and have already thrashed West Ham and Brighton, but their lone slip — a draw against Tottenham — allowed Liverpool to seize pole position and they can’t afford another against second-bottom Norwich.
Across Manchester, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United can only dream of gate-crashing the title race after a disappointing start showed how far they have fallen off the pace.
United have won only once in their first four games, adding to the incentive for their England defender Harry Maguire to inspire a victory against his former
club Leicester.
Maguire is the world’s most expensive defender after his £80 million close-season moves from Leicester, but he is yet to play like it, as his creaky showing in England’s midweek Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo emphasized.
Leicester will arrive at Old Trafford above Maguire’s men in the table after an impressive unbeaten start.
he team.”
(Agencies)
Comment