There’s been something of a frustrating narrative put forward by rival fans and commentators amid Liverpool’s push for a 20th English top-flight title.
Forget the remarkable rise of the club under Arne Slot’s watchful eye, forget the technical brilliance, and forget the wizardry of Mo Salah.
If you ask some, the Premier League toppers would be having a much tougher time of it had Arsenal not been struck with an injury crisis.
A slightly unfair statement, given that we’ve taken great pains to limit the risk of injuries at L4 this term.
We can understand the impact of Rodri’s absence for Manchester City, but for some time now, it seems there’s been a clear quality gap between the Reds and the Gunners in the 2024/25 campaign.
Gary Lineker says injuries have helped Liverpool
Alan Shearer asked Gary Lineker whether Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table was down to them being ‘brilliant’ or the challengers ‘not being great’.
The latter argued that their rivals’ injuries had played a significant part in deciding the course of the title race, but did likewise acknowledge the Merseysiders’ quality.
“The three favourites at the beginning of the season would have been Man City, Arsenal, and then probably Liverpool,” the MOTD presenter spoke on the The Rest is Football podcast on YouTube.
“I don’t think any of us tipped Liverpool to win the title because replacing [Jurgen] Klopp was always going to be different.
“I think it’s probably down to the injuries of the others, but I still think Liverpool would have been comfortably ahead.
“We’ve not had the Man City we’ve had in previous seasons, have we?”
Shearer replied: “Yeah, but Liverpool have only lost one league game – at home to Nottingham Forest. They’ve just been relentless.”
Have Liverpool been fortunate in the Premier League?
We’re not naive enough to suggest that luck doesn’t play at least some small part in a title challenge.
However, it does feel a little strange that rival injuries are being included in the equation in this particular campaign.
It hasn’t escaped our notice that there was a seemingly major reluctance on the part of commentators to acknowledge a serious injury crisis in 2020/21, as Virgil van Dijk kickstarted a raft of absences in the backline.
Liverpool were simply expected to “get on with it” and find solutions within the squad and window (remember Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak?).
Injuries may have had a small part to play, but let’s not pretend that we’re here on anything but merit.
A points total of 67 with 28 Premier League games played is better than what we had on the board at the same stage of the season in recent memory – barring the 2019/20 and 2018/19 seasons.
| Season | Games Played | Points Tally |
| 2018/19 | 28 | 69 |
| 2019/20 | 28 | 79 |
| 2020/21 | 28 | 46 |
| 2021/22 | 28 | 63 |
| 2022/23 | 28 | 42 |
| 2023/24 | 28 | 64 |
| 2024/25 | 28 | 67 |
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Sadly, Gary Lineker doesn’t want to face reality.
There’s always an opportunity cost to all these. There’s no team that has a depleted team and won the premiership. It’s always at the expense of others, so he should know better.
I’m not surprised at his comments because he didn’t win the premiership with Tottenham FC.
Spot on
Excellent observation, thats just how the tables turn. If you have more players with quality for game rotation that serves as an advantage when key players get injured and also it gives more depth for competitive fixtures. So Liverpool seems prepared to go the whole hog this season.
No, he didn’t win it with the blue shite either. Just another bitter blue.
Of course they have, like any title winning team you need luck. Liverpool have had plenty of injuries, but we managed them better than others. It shows our squad depth. Allison, Konate, Jota, Elliot, Robertson, Bradley all had lengthy time out. But that’s just the way it goes. Liverpool are also just better than the other teams
Well said and conclusive. Managing injuries is the key to ensure the Reds gets a favourable result most of the time. Realistically there are no teams that have no injured players or red cards. Lineker’s comment is definitely from someone who is utterly frustruated with
Liverpool current form
Gary Linker was useless as a footballer and a utter useless as a presenter this clown won nothing major as a player and complete failure as tv presenter with no football brain at all he obviously suffers from Amnesia but he clearly is out of his depth as a presenter no wonder BBC are getting rid of him!
Anil my good friend
This is not about the views of Gary lineker who I must add was a top quality striker in a reasonable Everton team that did win something he was an international striker of high quality as a presenter I’ve seen little to match him so please put away your antib Everton rhetoric and at least admire the guy as having been something special his views now are honest if incorrect wise up my man this is not about them it’s about us
Anil Patel, please respect Mr. Lineker’s views on Liverpool. Let’s be patient. Remember when almost all Liverpool players were faced with injuries, no one talked. People tend to talk ill when it’s Liverpool and good when it’s a Manchester team.
Sadly shallow people only focus on a negative not anything positive, which is quite surprising considering he went to see Arne Slot at Anfield only recently and made a tv programme out of it,
Had he been perceptive enough he’d have noticed that not only is Slot better than him at paddle board but he also hardly ever utters a negative word in anything he says or does. This has rubbed off on the squad at LFC as they only have positive thoughts in their heads when they step out onto the pitch and is the main reason they’ve only lost one match all season and are about to win the league. I doubt if they even considered how many injures they’ve been carrying.
Why should we worry about these folks?
Noone would really admit that the nicest gift we received is none other than mastermind Slot.
Let’s hope our honeymoon lasts for a while.
Let Gary say what excites him. Let him refuse to accept realty when Liverpool lifts the trophy in MAY. Injury is part of this game
Very correct
What a biased comment. Yes sometimes lack suits those who deserve it and LFC is the team worth taking it. Biff is all on your face ofcourse.
These haters don’t give the team and the coach the credit they deserve because they earned it because of their ruthless playing the best soccer. Liverpool is the most successful club in England.
Well. Season 2024/2025 will soon be over. We wait to see the 2025/2026 season. Was Slot incidental or accidental winner of the trophy the future will tell.
I’m disappointed in Liniker. I thought he was more balanced and brainier than this
The likes of Madrid and liverkosen played Liverpool in the champions league and Liverpool won them all, what’s this man saying? Were these teams also nursing injuries so much that Liverpool was lucky to beat them? He should come again
This is a pleasant comment I’ve like your sense of argument. Gary is biased in his analysis which signifies his negatively towards the Reds. The achievements in EUFA champions league didn’t form part of his analysis hence his view are hanging. As a presenter he needs to be sober enough and bring all the parameters together if he is to make a balanced analysis
The likes of Madrid and german champions played Liverpool in the champions league and Liverpool won them all, what’s this man saying? Were these teams also nursing injuries so much that Liverpool was lucky to beat them? He should come again
Let them talk 👄 us we never 🚶♀️alone, we walk 🚶♂️ with all Liverpool supporters and fans in the world.
INo one has mentioned this season Liverpool have also had injuries, Allison, Trent,konate, Bradley,robbo, tsimikas, Jota and gakpo have all had injuries,so,boo hoo to arsenal and city, Liverpool are there at top because of merit,hard work and desperately want to lift title in front of fans unlike five years ago
We didn’t use that with 8 first team last year… only falling off with 4 games to go. And a league cup win. Injury excuse is cheap.
Ifs and buts nobody was stopping Liverpool this year hardly Liverpools problem if arsenal don’t sign a striker man city new they wer and ageing team and 1 man like Rodri wldnt have made a difference is it Liverpools problem that there also top champions league experienced professionals coming out with this get a grip
Lvp always a positive team & should not be listening to hatter’s like this fellow.Team team earn it coz their hard work to get at this place.So we are going to lift the 20th title…. You’ll Never Walk Alone
❤❤❤❤❤
Thanks Brian for the quiz. Much hate cone as a result of LFC success. Remember no one throws stones at a tree without fruits. LFC is in all aspects, positivity, focus by players, the management staff and above all maturity of the fan base. That’s why we NWA. Not to forget how much do our opponents spent in poaching players ( Most of whom are first identified by LFC). HATERS AT THEIR BEST.
First time, I see the press having to empathize with Pep Guardiola, who could still spend £200m effortlessly during the winter window to reinforce the team without any eyebrow raised, for Man City injuries!
Nothing of this sort in 2020/2021 when LFC was ravaged by injuries and still managed to finish third with a makeshift defence in place when all 3 senior defenders sustained long term injuries after winning the 19th title in the precedent season.
Should Man City/Utd have been in LFC position, the narrative would have been completely different from these same channels, i.e., they would have been bragging about the qualities of Man City/Utd morning/noon/evening/night to destabilize the minds of their rivals!
The double standards approach being utilized by pundits and media over the years to downplay LFC success is glaring.
Does it provoke me to be angry as a LFC fan?
Definitely, no.
Why?
Because, to me, they are simply being paid by the powerful media corporations to do a job and their job is to make sure LFC rival fans hear from these platforms what they want to hear, i.e., to discredit Liverpool success.
It’s absurd for these renown pundits to have had to stop being objective in their commentaries / analysis and to stoop so low while doing so without any embarassment.
Can someone please explain to me why there is so much hate/animosity from media against LFC in the U.K?
Thanks in advance.
Whatever the reporter says when the title is won it’s won fully. He is having sleepless nights perhaps to give credit where it’s due. As presenters, there is need to give balanced analysis and not talk about injuries just in one season and saying it’s a reason enough for failure of others. How many injuries has Liverpool had in this season? Football is eleven players and tell me if Arsenal and Man City have been featuring less players in some matches because of injuries? Football is not one player! A club is not one player or it’s doomed to fail always. Presenters should not hate certain teams and show that in their analysis. In other words hate should not be part of the equation.
That’s all we expected from that company of foxes and we are prepared to receive even more hate speeches from the same. That’s what they can do better after running out of other options. KICKS OF A DYING HORSE
Let them say whatever they want to say, come May we Lfc,we are celebrating already in Nigeria, nobody see Liverpool this season favorite even top 4,God is on our side
Let them say whatever is none of our business
Let them talk 👄 us we never 🚶♀️alone, we walk 🚶♂️ with all Liverpool supporters and fans in the world.
Liverpool has been lucky,then uknlucy.?now we are LUCKY SLOT-❤➕MOSAL-VAN+TrenoAl+Saboy+Allison +Mac+Graven+GakyPo+Andy+Endo+Diaz+Nunizo+Brad+Wily+ALL=)🎯🙏❤CUP Cups 🏆🥇🎖🏅🏵🎷🥁
Shallow comment filled with hatred for LFP…we definitely walking alone to the be champions period. Most pundits and commentators loathe the fact that Liverpool is the best team in UK currently and have the greatest opportunity to win Champions League
It’s one of the tests for champions people, being able to keep your players available for the longest spell. It has been Liverpool’s biggest undoing as it challenged Manchester City for the honours
Gary Lineker’s opinions carry a lot of weight in certain circles, illegal immigrants mostly although I notice he hasn’t formally adopted any of them yet.
Please keep enlightening us with your wisdom Gaz.
We love you Gaz.
We would be nothing without you Gazza.
We need you Paul, I mean Gary.
Lead us oh great one for we are lost without thee.