Once Liverpool clinched the Premier League title last season ahead of Manchester City, the bookies immediately made Pep Guardiola’s side overwhelming favourites to lift the title again.
It wasn’t difficult to understand why.
Everyone knew Manchester City were going to spend, Liverpool had usurped them to the title by wise spending in key positions and years of hard work under Jurgen Klopp, and after that title win, the team looked knackered.
![[FILE] Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (L) runs with the ball as Arsenal’s Brazilian defender Gabriel closes in during the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London. (Photo by Catherine Ivill / POOL / AFP)](https://www.afriupdate.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/000_97B779-scaled-e1703231851386-120x86.jpg "Liverpool host Arsenal in battle for Premier League Christmas No. 1 3")
Not many noticed it as at the beginning of the season, Liverpool continued tearing teams apart until their shock 7:2 loss to Aston Villa, on the same day, City’s closest challengers this season, Manchester United, lost 6:1 at home to Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool lost Virgil Van Dijk, their most important player, to injury in the Merseyside and there was no one else with half his quality who could replace him. In fact, within a few weeks, there was no one else at all. Liverpool lost several centrebacks to different long term injuries and waited until the last week of the January transfer window to sign a centreback, at which point they had lost consecutive home games and had surrendered their lead at the top of the table.
They were playing their best midfielders in defence and also lost some of them to injuries. You couldn’t even argue against anyone who dared be superstitious and said the backline was cursed. Everyone who’s played at Liverpool’s centre half this season has been injured once or twice or probably more. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson also suffered layoffs of their own. On fire Summer signing, Diogo Jota was also lost for over two months.
At City, things were exactly the opposite, they started the season poorly, but they had strengthend key areas. And the arrival of Ruben Dias deepened the pool of talents available to Pep Guardiola. Ruben Dias is indispensable, but City can still do without him as they have capable deputies in Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte.
Even if they were forced to play a midfielder in defence, usually Fernandinho, they’d still have Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan at the base of midfield. In the wide areas, City have got Riyad Mahrez, Bernado Silva, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling and the near world class academy graduate, Phil Foden.
City have played numerous times without a recognised striker and that’s down to the genius of Pep Guardiola. City lost Kevin De Bruyne to injury at some point but Gundogan was more than an able deputy, Phil Foden would also be ready for that position, Bernado Silva isn’t a bad attacking midfielder. To put that in perspective, if Liverpool lost Mohammed Salah to injury, Jota would be the only one that could fill that position.
At Man United, not much can be said, they’re a team that is still rebuilding and their mini title challenge was more opportunistic than planned but its now given them a platform to build on ahead of next season.
Without signings to strengthen a squad which has one of the best first XIs in Europe but one of the worst benches, Liverpool’s season collapsed, and their fans frustration at Ole Gunnar Solskjær fielding a weak team vs Leicester City summed it up.
Having strengthened a team which was already the best in England, City were the team who had enough man power for a fixture-congested season as this one and their inevitable title win confirms what we always knew, squad depth is as important as having a world class first XI.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
