Manchester City have been warned that Liverpool now represent the biggest threat to their hopes of making it five Premier League titles in a row, with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes waxing lyrical about the Merseysiders and naming the three big factors in their favour.
Arne Slot’s side has started a new era on Merseyside like a train, winning 11 of their first 12 games under him to sit 100% from three Champions League games and proudly on top of the Premier League table. Indeed, only a surprise win at Anfield by Nottingham Forest back in September has prevented Liverpool from an absolutely perfect start under the Dutch tactician.
Former United midfielder Scholes is certainly impressed and he feels that the fitness shown by the side, the energy of their midfield and their huge array of attacking talent gives them a brilliant shot at dethroning Manchester City’s stretch as Premier League champions, with the Reds the last side to prevent them from claiming glory back in 2020.
“They’ve got legs haven’t they, which is a big thing,” Scholes said on The Overlap of the fitness levels shown by the Merseysiders.
“I think the biggest thing I noticed at Old Trafford when they played against [Manchester] United, ‘wow, they look a fit team’. And there’s quality with it as well.
“The three in the middle of the pitch, with the forwards they’ve got in front of them, I don’t think it really matters that much.
“I think we all say, ‘You’re only as good as your forwards are’, they’ve got three forwards, not three, five or six forwards who are special so that middle of the pitch I don’t think becomes that important.
“Although they have still got six again, any three of the six could play who can be brilliant, [Alexis] Mac Allister didn’t play at the weekend – how good has he been?
“I think Liverpool’s squad is better than Arsenal’s. I think Guardiola will be more worried about Liverpool than he is about Arsenal.”
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Roy Keane makes Liverpool title admission; Ian Wright questions Szoboszlai
Scholes’ verdict has also been backed by Roy Keane, who insists Liverpool being back in the title mix comes as no surprise to him, though has trotted out the old cliche about how it is too early to start handing out trophies just yet.
“Why are we all so surprised how well Liverpool are doing?’ Keane asked.
“Remember they got 80-odd points last year, and we’re still only in October, on one hand, we’re saying Arsenal aren’t playing that well but we go back to Liverpool… it’s October, you have to give them praise but it’s October, you don’t win anything in October.”
Ian Wright, meanwhile, has suggested the £60m midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai could soon find his place in the side coming under threat from Curtis Jones, following the homegrown midfielder’s exceptional display against Chelsea last weekend.
“You know what as well, no one expected this from Gravenberch,” Wright commented, before adding: “And now Curtis Jones all of a sudden has gone supernova… I still think Szoboszlai… I’m not seeing his performances.
“I think the form of Gravenberch and Curtis Jones have taken it [Liverpool] to another place.”
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Meanwhile, Liverpool are being linked with a fresh move to reunite Slot with one of his former Feyenoord stars Orkun Kokcu, with the Benfica star recently being watched by the Reds and amid claims over the Turk’s feelings on a potential move to Anfield.
He is just one midfielder the Reds are being linked with though and the links to Kokcu come just a day after claims made by former Reds star Emile Heskey who feels the form of Jones means Slot will now be ready to abandon any plans he may have had of rekindling interest in Martin Zubimendi.
However, former Kop hero Heskey has endorsed a mammoth summer move for a ‘lightning quick’ English winger he feels would be a superb addition to the Reds’ ranks.
Elsewhere, Liverpool’s quest to keep Trent Alexander-Arnold from Real Madrid’s clutches has seemingly suffered a double blow. Firstly, Tim Sherwood has explained why he thinks the star is ‘gone’ and that preventing him from moving to Madrid will prove impossible. And secondly, a bold report has revealed the extraordinary financial package they are prepared to offer the 26-year-old to tempt him into ditching Anfield for the Bernabeu.
How do Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City’s next six Prem fixtures look?
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