Although Arne Slot repeated his usual line that Liverpool just have to focus on the next game, another rampant performance made it hard not to think of history, and other years. That’s especially the case given that this otherwise isn’t looking like a Premier League season for the ages.
Most of the main positions are now almost settled, and by the end of February. Through that, there are shades of 1975-76 and 1985-86 for Liverpool. The former was when Bob Paisley won his first title, just two years after taking over from the charismatic Bill Shankly, a campaign carrying so many parallels with now. The latter was meanwhile when Kenny Dalglish won the title in his very first season as manager of the club – also like Slot now.
Of course, a 20th league – as is now almost inevitable – would give this season a special resonance of its own. It would equal Manchester United’s record, putting Liverpool back on their perch, while offering the chance to celebrate in a way they never could with the 19th during the pandemic.
The anxieties from the draws with Everton and Aston Villa now seem so distant, as if Mohammed Salah has left them for dust. Special mention should be reserved for Dominik Szoboszlai, who looks like he has gone to a higher level as Liverpool go clear. There was such energy, which neither Manchester City nor Newcastle United could live with.
As exhilarating as that obviously was for Liverpool, it felt a little deadening for the Premier League. There’s very little excitement to be created about their trophy now.
Worse, it’s not like there’s much to advertise at the other end. The toying with people’s emotions that the survival battle can become is unlikely to develop. The bottom three look doomed. Even this version of Manchester United, for all their problems with a truly underwhelming team, had too much for Ipswich Town. That could be that.
A premature end to the relegation battle is something that is starting to happen in a lot of seasons, so it’s hard to directly compare to any individual campaign, a bit like the prospect of all the promoted three going straight back down. There’s at least some morbid unpredictability in Southampton needing three more points to beat Derby County 2007-08. More than a few clubs have found themselves trying to avert that sorry record over the last few years, too.
These trends point to two fundamental issues, related to wider debates in football, that undercut the Premier League’s bombast.
At the bottom, the economic model has clearly created a “Premier League 2”. The financial gradient between the top division and the Championship is now too great, further distorting the impact of parachute payments. There is now a tranche of clubs, that arguably stretch about eight into the Championship, who just constantly come up and down. It’s gone beyond yo-yos to bungee jumps. On the other side, look at the three teams likely to come up. They are two of those who went down last season, and Leeds United, who went down two seasons ago.
Right at the top, then, we see one of the problems with the so-called “super clubs”. They are so wealthy that, when one gets it right, it can have a multiplying effect. So it is with Liverpool now, who have got their fitness regime right, amid a number of other virtues under Slot. What is striking is that it was similar with their victory in 2019-20. They just streaked away.
It is somewhat ironic that this has happened amid so much critical discussion, not least on these pages, of City’s long-term superiority. It is fairly easy to explain, mind. The clear advantages that come with state ownership remain. City have merely suffered an aberration from almost anchoring too much of their football operation to Pep Guardiola, who is suffering the first down season of his career. That has been further influenced by other factors, like the preposterous calendar, that have also worn down other wealthy clubs like Arsenal.
It is also possibly true that City’s previous level gave rivals something to aim for, and go to higher levels, even if they could very rarely match it. That still wasn’t “good” for the Premier League, just as Liverpool running away with it now isn’t.
City can eventually weather this, depending on what happens with their own hearing.
This relatively subdued campaign could still have the most sensational development of all. The outcome may now arrive in March.
In the meantime, the feeling from this table isn’t new, either. It is comparable to 2005-06 and 2012-13, when the chase for the Champions League was the only pursuit keeping those seasons going.
At the least, this season’s race could involve more clubs than usual, especially if the Premier League gets a fifth spot. There are constant swings through those positions from third to 10th. In the last week alone, Aston Villa’s weekend win over Chelsea was undone by Villa’s own stunning 4-1 loss to Crystal Palace and Chelsea’s 4-0 victory over sorry Southampton. There may be more of that to come. Even City look like they have a lingering vulnerability, if nowhere near the fragility of late 2024.
Brighton’s win over Bournemouth also crunched that part of the table further. Andoni Iraola’s side are understandably losing momentum.
The great wonder is whether Arsenal will be drawn in. There is a six-point gap between them and Nottingham Forest after Wednesday’s drab 0-0 draw, but that can fritter away quite quickly if you just can’t score. Anxiety might grow.
Mikel Arteta can at least console himself with the idea that there are now longer gaps between Premier League games – including a for-once-welcome international break – that will allow injured stars like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli to come back.
For all the debate around Arteta’s attacking, it shouldn’t be forgotten that his first-choice forward line ensured 91 goals in 38 games last season. That is sensational… but even that wasn’t without some caveats. Arsenal still had frustrating games, and occasional gluts once they went ahead to slightly skew those figures.
In other words, it was obvious they needed that key final forward last season. Now, every foray up the pitch screams it. It’s been said on these pages before that Arsenal are reminiscent of 1992-93 Manchester United in the period just before they signed Eric Cantona. It is so clear what they miss as the club intensely seeks to end that long wait for a title.
The calculation not to sign an option in January, however, has also left them looking like 1991-92 Manchester United. Then, a title challenge faltered amid fatigue, frustration and just a fatal lack of goals. Arsenal’s blanks against West Ham United and Forest feel similar to United’s series of nils in that run-in.
They at least know what they need. Everyone else knows what is missing from this season’s Premier League right now.
The fact that 2024-25 isn’t one for the ages means it’s hard not to look to other campaigns.
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