Paul Merson believes that Liverpool are capable of replicating a feat this season that only one Premier League club managed in 2022/23.
In his latest column for Sky Sports, the 55-year-old was looking ahead to the Reds’ clash away to Tottenham on Saturday, believing that three points for Jurgen Klopp’s side would be ‘a massive result’ against another unbeaten team in the top flight so far this term.
The ex-Arsenal player also stated that LFC drawing their next two games at Spurs and Brighton wouldn’t be overly damaging as he believes they’re capable of repeating Brentford’s feat from last season of beating Manchester City home and away.
Merson wrote: “If Liverpool come away from Tottenham with a win next week then it’s a massive result. I’m not saying they will lose the game, but to go to Tottenham now, you’re up against a very good team with good players.”
He later added: “Liverpool, meanwhile, still have got so much work to do. Manchester City are destroying the league at the moment, they’re putting so much pressure on everybody. It’s phenomenal what they’re doing.
“Liverpool are doing well at the moment because you just have to stick in there. You have to take it a game at a time and you don’t want to be giving them a head start.
“The biggest advantage Liverpool have is they can draw to Tottenham and Brighton over the next two weeks because they still have to play Man City twice – and they can beat Man City twice.”
As impressive as Liverpool’s start to the season has been, with seven successive wins in all competitions, the upcoming trips to Tottenham and Brighton (fourth and third in the league respectively) are two big hurdles to overcome.
If we can come through that double away day with four points or more, belief in a genuine challenge to Manchester City for the title will surely grow, even after just eight matches of the top-flight season.
As for downing the champions twice, the fact that only Brentford managed it last term (and one of those wins came after Pep Guardiola’s side had already hoisted the trophy) shows how difficult and rare a feat it is to pull off.
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Even though Liverpool have won five and drawn two of their eight league meetings against City at Anfield under Klopp, we haven’t been victorious at the Etihad in any of our last seven top-flight visits (Transfermarkt), so it’d take a couple of top performances to repeat the Bees’ achievement of 2022/23.
Still, the Reds are growing in belief with each passing game, and with the German scoring 10 victories over the treble winners during his time in charge on Merseyside (Transfermarkt), he has a hold over the Cityzens that few other managers can boast.
Let’s get over Spurs and Brighton for now – two strong results there could set up nicely for after the October international break!