In a post-match segment with Sky Sports, Jose Mourinho has claimed that the title race is ‘done’ after Liverpool secured a 3-1 win over Manchester City at Anfield last weekend. The Reds have now got an eight-point gap separating them from Leicester City and Chelsea. The Citizens have dropped down to fourth place in the Premier League table, nine points off the top spot.
Fixture Congestion Could Derail Liverpool’s Title Charge
With such a healthy advantage over their rivals, the bookmakers have made the Merseyside outfit 2/5 favourites to lift the league title. However, there is still a long way to go with the Europeans champions facing a difficult and gruelling schedule of fixtures after the international break.
Starting with a trip to Crystal Palace on November 23, Jurgen Klopp’s men will have to play ten matches before Christmas. Furthermore, they face a trip to Austria to play Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool will also take part in the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar next month.
Therefore, there is a risk that Klopp’s squad might be hit with a few injuries which could derail their title run. Even then, the European champions have shown over the past couple of years that they can cope with adversity and grind out results when the pressure is on them to put points on the board.
The Counter-Argument
The fact remains that the Reds have lost just one league game since the start of last season. Hence, it is quite difficult to see how the Premier League leaders will drop too many points during the festive period while their competitors go on a long winning run at the same time.
Every team in the English top-flight will be in for an exhausting few weeks, and it is no exception with Liverpool. Klopp will also have the option to bolster his squad with quality if he chooses to do so in January.
Is Mourinho Right With His Assessment?
There is still a long way to go before this season comes to an end. There will likely be plenty of twists and turns in the title race so we can expect the unexpected over the next few months. Mourinho could end up being correct with his prediction, but with so much football still left to be played this season, it would be a bit premature to name Liverpool as the new champions of England when they have not won a league title in 30 years.
