Why can’t Liverpool win the title? Irrepressible so far, the Newcastle legend believes all they need to do is sort out their set-piece uncertainty.
Alan Shearer has told Coral that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be secretly targeting the Premier League crown this season due to the inconsistent performances of the title favourites.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City revolution has stalled somewhat in recent weeks after a defeat to Tottenham and a draw with Everton, while Chelsea have endured an erratic start under former Italy boss Antonio Conte, comprehensively outplayed in defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Tottenham’s disappointing performance against West Brom on Saturday hinted at a lack of a killer instinct, Arsenal remain hugely unpredictable, and an N’Golo Kante-less Leicester City (below) have returned emphatically to reality after the dreamworld of last season.
Consequently, Shearer believes dark horses’Liverpool, who will go top in the rather unlikely event of beating North West rivals Manchester United by more than three goals on Monday night, could be first past the post in May if they resolve their problems at set pieces.
“[Liverpool] will tell you [that they want to finish in the top four]. But I think secretly inside Jurgen [Klopp] might be telling his players ‘we can win the Premier League’,” Shearer told Coral.
“I think he will look at the teams in there, and the performances of the teams, and he will be saying to his players ‘nothing should scare us in this league’.”
“They’ve been impressive, the way they press high, the way they score goals, but they’re still vulnerable at the back particularly from set pieces.”
The former England captain believes United could have their work cut out at Anfield, suggesting that Jose Mourinho’s inability to field a settled side has hampered their chances thus far, with only their 4-1 hammering of Leicester displaying any trademarks of potential champions.
“The problem with Jose is that he doesn’t know his best team as yet,” Shearer explained. “He’s had the problem with leaving [Wayne] Rooney out, fitting [Paul] Pogba into the system.
“Other than the Leicester game, where they did play well and move the ball fast, he hasn’t seen his team play particularly well yet.”
Monday’s Teutonic clash will surely go a long way to answering the many questions surrounding the capabilities of these two traditional rivals.
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