Liverpool Remain Premier League Favourites Despite Horror Show

Never in a month of Sundays could we have imagined the extent of the humiliation the Liverpool team heaped upon themselves during their 7-2 away loss at Villa Park on Sunday evening.  The majestic team that dominated the 2019/20 season – finishing 18 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Manchester City – was annihilated by hard-working and relentless Aston Villa.  Despite only 31% possession during the match, Villa dominated the game and the score sheet..  Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick, Jack Grealish two goals, and John McGinn and Ross Barkley scored one each.  In contrast, Liverpool had 8 shots on target but only 2 hit the back of the net, both scored by Mo Salah.  

Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp, acknowledged that his players committed “massive mistakes” and said “A game like tonight should not happen, 100 percent…It’s not a personal defeat but it’s a massive one”.  Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool’s centre-back and captain of the Netherland’s national side, was frank in his assessment of the woeful team performance and concluded “Overall we’re very disappointed.  We shouldn’t lose with the numbers we did and now it’s key to stick together and don’t let this happen again hopefully.”

Klopp will be keen to have more options for his team sheet when Liverpool play local rivals Everton on 17 October, after the three England internationals against Wales, Belgium and Denmark are out of the way.  His first choice goalie, Alisson Becker, may be out for a few more weeks due to injury but it is likely that Sadio Mane and Thiago Alcantara will rejoin the team after testing positive for Covid-19.  Captain Jordan Henderson is also likely to return to the fray after suffering a muscle injury in LIverpool’s 2-0 defeat of Chelsea on 20 September.

At present, Liverpool are only three points adrift of Premier League leaders Everton, and most uk bookmakers reckon that the Reds will outpace their rivals over the course of the season.  Liverpool has been favourite from the outset and the disastrous defeat by Aston Villa does not change that.  Betway offers odds of 6/4 that Liverpool will win the Premier League, with Manchester City tipped as second favourite, with odds of 13/8 from BetVictor.  

The remainder of October is packed with domestic fixtures – against Sheffield United on 24 October and West Ham on 31 October – interspersed with Champions League matches against Ajax on 21 October and FC Midtjylland on 27 October.  Jürgen Klopp will be eager for his team to show their mettle in these matches, and regain their previously unassailable form.