As Gary Neville noted in his Telegraph column, Manchester United fans are finally acknowleding the fact that their rivals from across the Mersey stand a big chance to finish above them and possibly pip them to the final Champions League spot if Arsenal do finish above the pair.
“Liverpool look as well equipped as any side to take that final Champions League spot now. They’ve stopped conceding goals, have found a system that works for their players and have their high intensity game back,”Neville noted.
Having been 10 points behind Louis van Gaal’s men after losing 3-0 back in mid-Decemeber, Champions League looked an unlikely possibility. But Liverpool have gone undefeated in the league since then with the 3-4-2-1 formation proving to be a masterstroke. Rodgers did try it at Newcastle too in November, but it failed because of a number of reasons. It worked to an extent at Old Trafford, but Raheem Sterling’s poor finishing couple with arguably David de Gea’s best display in a United jersey didn’t reap the rewards in a game which could have finished a classic. Regardless, Rodgers stuck to the system and Liverpool have taken 26 points from a possible 30 available since then.
In Europe’s top five leagues, only Wolfsburg who are 2nd in the Bundesliga have averaged more points per game this calendar year than Liverpool. They have beaten Spurs, Southampton and Manchester City in their last three games — all of them were above Liverpool — and are having a real go at the top three leave alone the top four.
They have got knocked out from the Europa League with the competition threatening to derail their league form and the scary part for United is that Daniel Sturridge is yet to look like the striker he was last season, with the five month injury lay-off needing time to return to full fitness.
They host United before visiting Arsenal, and the two fixtures could prove to be really crucial in determining whether they finish over either side.
Van Gaal’s team on the other hand is picking up points despite unconvincing displays though they have lost twice since the turn of the year. Their away form though leaves much to be desired with just three wins on the road, same as relegation threatened Aston Villa. Poor performances though might catch up with them big time especially since they have the toughest run-in amongst all teams involved in the race for the Champions League spots.
United dropped five points out of six in their last two visits to West Ham and Swansea and face Newcastle tonight before travelling to Liverpool, Chelsea, Everton and Crystal Palace before the end of the season.
Sunderland. The fixture list, however, is not kind to them before their final match with Hull City, with Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea to play in the next couple of months.
Home games against Spurs, City and Arsenal will also be potential banana skins and could go a long way in determing their final league position and if things are to be looked upon from a neutral’s point of view, one would consider Liverpool to pip them after a close battle right at the end.