When the two Premier League frontrunners come head-to-head in a clash of the titans’ contest there is usually a notion of unpredictability. However, following Liverpool’s 4-0 thrashing of Leicester City on Boxing Day any form of competitiveness between the two teams were completely made redundant.
Jurgen Klopp’s team recorded their 17th league win of the season to move 13 points clear of the Foxes – still with a game in hand over Brendan Rodgers’ side – who are currently in second place.
The European champions have recorded 52 points from a possible 54 this season and have only dropped two points since March. Liverpool are also on the verge of going a full calendar year unbeaten in the league – their previous being that 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on January 3.
Liverpool are also the only team left in Europe’s top-five leagues with their unbeaten record still in-tact. The Reds have only dropped points on one occasion this season – a 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
Klopp has managed to install a system that has the perfect blend between defence and attack. Their 4-0 victory against fellow title rivals Leicester was the Reds’ biggest victory of the season so far and the only occasion since Brendan Rodgers’ took charge that the 2016 Premier League winners have conceded four goals during a match.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: James Milner of Liverpool celebrates after scoring a goal to make it 0-2 with Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Liverpool FC at The King Power Stadium on December 26, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Whilst currently reigning supreme domestically, Klopp’s team also have a Champions League title to defend. The Reds have been drawn to face Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the last-16 of the competition.
Liverpool will be looking to reach their third consecutive Champions League final in Istanbul after claiming their sixth European Cup back in June. The Reds have never lost a two-legged tie under Klopp and have recorded the continental treble for 2019.
Following their Club Wolrd Cup success in Doha, Qatar, Jordan Henderson became the first-ever English captain to lift the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA CWC in the same calendar year.
The team are breaking records left right and centre and have a team full of proven winners. Where there was once doubt and unease there is now a relentless demand for perfection. Liverpool have lost just once in the league in their last 56 matches.
LEICESTER, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 26: Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson of Liverpool celebrate to their fans after the Premier League match between Leicester City and Liverpool FC at The King Power Stadium on December 26, 2019 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
The team had seven players nominated for the Ballon d’Or – three of them making the top five – whilst possessing the FIFA Goalkeeper of the Year (Alisson Becker) and the UEFA Player of the Year (Virgil van Dijk) at their disposal.
Klopp has also transformed the role of the modern full-back with defensive duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson having recorded 36 assists between them throughout 2019. Liverpool also have the best defensive record in the division this season with only 14 goals conceded.
At only the halfway mark of the season, the destination as to where the league trophy will be heading now seems a foregone conclusion. No team in the history of English football has made a better start to a league season than Liverpool. The question that remains isn’t whether they can hold on in their pursuit of a first league title since 1990 but whether anyone can find a way of stopping them for years to come.
Klopp has constructed the greatest Liverpool team in a generation and they are here to stay.