Liverpool have been champions elect for months and their lead at the top of the Premier League has been relatively comfortable – but Sunday could finally see them officially crowned.
The Reds are seeking to win the Premier League for the second time with Jurgen Klopp in 2020 currently the only man to do so at Anfield. Arne Slot can now emulate him in what is the Dutchman’s first season but he needs a win and a bit of help elsewhere.
Arsenal have been Liverpool’s closest challengers, but their inconsistencies have meant they’ve been unable to truly get close enough to apply serious pressure. It looks as if the Gunners will finish second for the third year on the bounce, but they will look to delay the inevitable.
Last week the north Londoners drew again – this time at home to Brentford. Prior to that they’d been held at Everton. Their eggs seem to be in the Champions League basket but they will want to prolong the agony for Liverpool, who have the champagne on ice.
The equation is simple. Arsenal go first on Sunday when they play Ipswich. If they do suffer a shock loss at Portman Road then Liverpool get the chance to make more history. If they can follow an Arsenal loss with a win over Leicester they will be champions.
A draw for Arsenal will be enough to keep the fight going so the Reds will need the Tractor Boys, who look set to face the drop, to pull out a serious performance. Ipswich have only won four times all season, so they are rank outsiders to beat the north Londoners.
Liverpool would duly love the opportunity to celebrate the title in front of their home fans, which could yet happen. It was well documented that their success in 2020 came after a Manchester City loss – and when lockdown was still in play meaning celebrations were not what they could’ve been.
Despite the possibilities that exist Slot insists there is no thought of the title this Sunday – only on beating Leicester. He said: “My thoughts are not on that at all. My thoughts are, as always, on Leicester and on our team: how to improve, what can we do better.
“We couldn’t do many things better in the first half against West Ham [United] but we could do a lot of things better in the second half. So, during the start of the week we have worked on that a lot and now we are working towards Leicester. One game at a time and influence the one we can influence, and that’s the Leicester game.”
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