A lot has been said about the challenge Chelsea are facing from Manchester United this season with Sir Alex’s boys predominantly seen as the only team capable of catching the runaway champions.
An equal amount has been said about how Arsenal have not put up anything like the fight we expected from them, slumping to mid-table mediocrity in the process.
But, as we enter the New Year, little has been said about Liverpool and their potential title charge. Well, after Wednesday’s victory over Everton made it nine wins in a row, I think it is high time we started talking about them.
For the early part of season it was hard to take Rafa Benitez’s team too seriously. True, they were European Champions but that was achieved mostly against the run of play and their form in the league last season was not exactly sparkling.
Add to that the lack of any major summer signings (tall, maybe, but not major) and what can only be described as an extremely average start to the season, and it is easy to see why most of us had written them off as also rans.
Yet now it cannot be denied that they have come good. Led by Steven Gerrard who is in an awesome vein of form, the Reds have put together a string of results that must be causing even the mighty Mourinho to lose a bit of sleep.
At the moment they are still a scary 15 points behind the leaders but they do have two games in hand. Win both and they will leapfrog Manchester United and move to within nine points of Chelsea.
But crucially, more than any of the other teams in the chasing pack, they have spectacular momentum on their side. Not only have they won nine in a row, they have only conceded one goal in the process and that was on Wednesday against Everton in the highly charged atmosphere of a local derby.
Their defence is looking strong and assured, midfield is solid and passionate thanks to the leadership of Gerrard and up front Peter Crouch has gone from everybody’s favourite joke to one of the Premiership’s most lethal finishers.
In manager Benitez, Liverpool have one of the most lovable, cuddly and humble bosses in the league, in stark contrast to Mourinho who is, without doubt, the sort of bloke you want to stick needles into.
The Spaniard has turned the Anfield squad into a tight and efficient unit that knows when to attack, when to stay back and when to throw caution to the wind – ask Milan about that last one.
I still say the title race is over. Chelski are just that little bit too good, that little bit more capable of winning matches they don’t really deserve to win. And that little bit richer.
But at least Liverpool look like they fancy making a fight of it. And that is a very welcome sign indeed.
Meanwhile, Frank Lampard’s magnificent run of games is finally over.
The midfielder failed to make the Chelsea starting line-up on Wednesday for the first time since September 2001 – a staggering 164 consecutive league games in a row.
Although he was named in the starting 11 for the match against Manchester City, Lampard didn’t make it out on to the pitch after succumbing to a virus which he had been trying to shake off.
When you think of how many non-league games Lampard has played during that four-year-plus sequence – Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and friendlies – it makes his run even more remarkable.
To not get injured for such a long time shows just what a fine athlete the lad is. To not get suspended either shows he is a fine example of sporting behaviour.
To be honest Chelsea missed his energy and his drive against a determined, if somewhat defensive, City. That they still won was due to a combination of that ability to win when not playing well, which I mentioned above, and the flair and determination of Joe Cole.
The little midfielder was once hailed as the future of the English game but, for a long time, it looked like he was going to fail to make the grade. Now, thanks to some superb management by Mourinho, Cole has finally become the player we all thought he could be.
Jose has taken a good little player and turned him into a great one through careful nurturing and determined coaxing. He has made a man out of a boy.
So, on that basis, all England fans should probably put away the needles for the time being…
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