Liverpool avert crisis in clinical fashion to top Premier League at Christmas

Liverpool are again top of the Premier League for Christmas. Jurgen Klopp has just cause to celebrate going into the hectic holiday period.

Leading the table entering Yuletide is an emotional landmark rather than a firm indicator that the title is within a team’s grasp. During the 28-season Premier League era, 13 clubs have failed to hold on to their midwinter advantage come May. This year there is even less reason to see the festive pacesetters as champions-in-waiting. The campaign is a month behind schedule because of the Covid-19 crisis. Yet Liverpool have plenty of reasons to feel good about the situation.

Saturday’s 7-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park was a snapshot of an erratic four months. Between Takumi Minamino’s opening goal and Sadio Mane doubling the lead, the away side endured a testing 32 minutes. Palace had much the better of the play. Liverpool looked ripe for the taking. The defence creaked, the midfield fought a rearguard action and the forwards were isolated. It seemed likelier that Roy Hodgson’s side would equalise than the champions would go further in front. Then Klopp’s men clicked into gear and killed the contest before half time.

READ MORE: Liverpool show class of champions to move top 

Last season Liverpool had a relentless quality that drove them to the last day of February before their first league defeat. The manager was required to do minimal tinkering with the side. The injury crisis that many feared through the autumn never materialised despite the team’s involvement in the Club World Cup in Qatar adding extra fixtures to the workload.

Things have not run so smoothly this time around. Virgil van Dijk’s arrival from Southampton almost two years ago was the catalyst for huge improvement and the run to the Champions League final. In the wake of the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid in Kiev, Alisson Becker joined the club. The two big-money signings transformed the side and instigated a glorious two campaigns, first winning European football’s biggest prize by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in Madrid and following up with the title, their first in 30 years.

Liverpool’s greatest achievement this season is that Klopp has proved that the team no longer relies on the club’s two record buys. A year ago it was presumed that the dropoff in standards without either Van Dijk or Alisson would be catastrophic. That fear is no longer a concern. Liverpool routed a potentially dangerous Wolverhampton Wanderers side 4-0 this month without either player.

Fabinho has been a revelation as a makeshift centre back in Van Dijk’s absence and Caoimhin Kelleher emerged as a viable deputy in goal but the wider trend is even more satisfying for the manager. Youngsters have stepped up and filled in the gaps across the pitch. Curtis Jones is winning rave reviews in midfield. Neco Williams, Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips have slotted in at the back and plugged any holes. Phillips is 23, the others all just 19 years old. The transition from Klopp relying on a core 11 players to trusting the collective is well underway. Liverpool would be even better without the plethora of injuries to their stars but the greatest cause of optimism at Anfield is they are not significantly worse even when they are far from full strength.

The final two games of the year – at home to West Bromwich Albion and away to Newcastle United – are both winnable. With the second and third teams, Leicester City and Manchester United, playing each other on Boxing Day and Everton and Manchester City meeting 48 hours later, it is possible that Liverpool might extend their four-point lead in the table going into the new year.

Being top at Christmas is satisfying but does not matter if you come down with the decorations. Another batch of injuries could derail the league leaders but so far they have proved that they can cope in the most difficult circumstances. The experience of Palace is a warning for the rest of the division. Liverpool may look vulnerable but they are still deadly, no matter what the time of year. 

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