A gloomy start to this season for Liverpool F.C has allowed other teams to battle for top four places, with an eye on staying there and keeping Liverpool out of the Champions League positions for the first time since they last won the trophy in 2005- a season when local rivals Everton went on to ‘break the top four’ days before the Reds’ went on to win their fifth European Cup in Istanbul.
That season a host of teams were competing for that final top four place and this season is no different. After our host of slip ups at the start of the season other teams have become more confident in their beliefs that they can snatch a place in Europe’s premier competition, a competition we have never done without during the tenure of current boss Rafael Benitez. At the same time the confidence we had gained as a club following on from last seasons title race has all but diminished, add to that a host of injuries to major first team players and everything looks gloomy for the red half of Merseyside.
Manchester City, with their new found money, will visit Anfield on Saturday, bringing with them a new found arrogance that comes with being filthy rich and challenging the top four after seasons of mediocrity. It has to be said, this is a formidable Manchester City side, with a host of world-class players littering the starting eleven it’s a completely different outfit from the team that first graced the pitch at the City of Manchester Stadium after leaving their Maine Road home.
Despite this Mark Hughes money men aren’t a team to be feared. a poor start from a number of the big teams has allowed them to gain a flattering sixth place in the league, despite being dubbed the ‘Premier League draw specialists’ after a host of games in which they have been equalled by teams the original top four clubs would expect to brush aside with ease. This is the reason Liverpool fans should be optimistic about the early kick-off this coming weekend, it’s a game we can win as long as we take it to City from the off. They may look the part going forward but at the back they’re not all that, it’s something we can expose even with our injuries.
Manchester City fans released a statement for other supporters travelling to Anfield, telling them to get behind the Blues and show Liverpool who the real top four club are. Well, they made the claim, a claim which I don’t think they can follow up.
M. Owen
michael@empireofthekop.com
We have to be optimistic now, that is all we can do. But i am a bit tired, and i am sure many other people as well are. From how long have we been saying ‘this’ game can change our season. We said it before the manure game, b4 the fulham game, b4 the lyon game, b4 the birmingham game. And if we fail to beat man city, then we’ll say tht the merseyside derby can change our season, or the blackburn match will , or the debrece match or the fiorentina match…..