Matchday 30 has the Reds hosting Burnley at Anfield. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 AM EST on Sunday.

Liverpool v Burnley — 03/10/2019 1200 GMT

It is another early morning kickoff for us here in Tampa Bay as the Reds look to get their title push back on track. This means you’re going to need your member cards to get into Pokey’s as Hillsborough County still exists in a puritanical world where alcohol shall not be served before 11 on Sundays. At London Heights, a special permit has been acquired allowing them to start serve before 11 on the day, doors open at 7:30 a.m. And luckily, Pinellas County long ago changed their laws, so if you are on the south side of the bridge just wipe the sleep away and come on down to Horse and Jockey where it will be business as usual. With all the being said, let’s get into the talking points.

The Last Leg

This season enters its final stages, and with the Grand Prix in downtown St. Pete this weekend, I’ve begun to think of this title race in terms of other types of races. I wouldn’t be the first, nor will I be the last, to call the Premier League season “a marathon” or liken the last quarter of the season to a “sprint to the finish, but the metaphors and cliches help to shed light on the scenario Liverpool now find themselves in.

Recently, a friend of mine posted a video of the 1988 Olympic 4x100 Women’s final. In that race, the American team came flying out the gates before eventually being caught by the East Germany team. It was neck and neck coming down to the final exchange and sprint. However, the exchange between Flo-Jo and Evelyn Ashford was a sloppy one, and by the time Ashford got full control of the baton, and started her leg of the sprint, there was significant ground to be made up to catch the East Germans. However, Ashford managed to dig deep and she caught and passed the East German runner to bring home the Gold for the United States.

Watching that third exchange in the race reminded me of where Liverpool currently are in this title push. The first two months of 2019 have seen Liverpool stumble a bit. The Reds have failed to smoothly pass the baton between their first half of the season and the last sprint towards the title. After flying out the gates and giving themselves a comfortable lead, Liverpool now find themselves having to run down and pass Manchester City. In the moment, the temptation can be there to dwell on the recent mistakes and bemoan lost opportunities.

I’m sure in the small space of time where Flo-Jo was making a meal of the baton pass to Ashford, that both runners had a small feeling of dread that they were blowing the race for the rest of the team. However, given the pace at which a 4x100 relay occurs, neither would have had much time to digest and process those feelings, especially not Ashford who still had 100 meters of ground to cover. There was no time to point out the massive lead they let slip after the first 100 meters, or to point out how simple a baton pass is and how silly it would be to have blown a chance at a gold medal because of a sloppy exchange. Ashford only had time to collect the baton and run as fast as she could.

For Liverpool though, there is that time and space to over analyze and criticize their recent struggles. As fans, we’ve been able to watch the muffed baton pass occur in hyper slow motion as Liverpool collected draws from games they should otherwise be winning. This then made the recovery steps, drawing away at grounds Liverpool struggle to win at, seem as if they weren’t good enough and only helped add to the growing anxiety in the pits of our collective stomach. Now, we look at the final sprint with a growing sense of despair rather than accepting the challenge ahead. We can no longer see the bigger picture.

Now is the time for the Reds to come together and push themselves over the line

As much as that third baton pass in 1988 almost blew the chances of gold for those 4 women, if it wasn’t for that incredibly fast first leg then it would have been an insurmountable error. In Liverpool’s case, if it wasn’t for that record setting first half of the season, then the last 2 months would have been utterly devastating to any title challenge. Yes, the 1988 4x100 final and Liverpool’s title challenge could have both been far more comfortable heading into the last leg, but what’s important is that an opportunity to compete heading into the last leg still exists.

It is something we would have asked for at the start of the season. If a league season was played out in the same time frame a 4x100 final takes place in, we wouldn’t have the time to obsess over the recent stumble and would be focused on the last 100 meters of ground to cover. So, with 100 meters to go in the race to the title, may Liverpool run that last leg the best that they can.

No More Favors

If Manchester City manage to pip Liverpool to the title, it will be on their own merits. Though they aren’t on pace to do as well as they did last season, they are still playing at a level that rivals some of the greatest sides in Premier League history. For all the talk of Liverpool “bottling the title” in a season where they’re out performing every single Premier League side in the club’s history, if it wasn’t for City playing at the level they are then the recent slip in form would have hardly been noticed. Regardless, the Reds must make City feel the pressure.

This is the first time City have been top of the table since the conclusion of matchday 15 on December 4th. The last 4 months for City have been about clawing back at Liverpool as they try to meet the expectations of winning another Premier League title. Whilst there must be a small sense of relief at finally reclaiming top spot, there will be no time to breathe as there will still be pressure to finish the job. Liverpool must use that pressure to their advantage.

All this Liverpool side can do now is go back to trying to win one game at a time and force Manchester City to do the same. That mentality served the side well in the first half of the season before talks of title chances became audible and focus on City’s results became a part of our routine. It would also mean City have to finish the season on a 13 match win streak, which would be tied for third best in Premier League history.

Liverpool have already done City the favor of allowing them to get back into this title race and giving them a lead heading into these last 9 matches. Now, they must not hand them any more gifts. City have existed in a high pressure space of trying to win every match since their Boxing Day loss to Leicester. It’s up to the Reds to ensure they live with that pressure until the final day.

Keita Time

Could these last 9 games be a chance for Keita to finally leave his mark?

Of all the new signings that Liverpool welcomed in this year, Naby Keita has been the most underwhelming. That’s not to say he was a bad signing or that we should give up on him, just that Keita has yet to hit the heights that were expected of him or make a real impact. Whilst Keita has struggled to leave an everlasting impression on the season, Alisson, Fabinho, and Shaqiri have all made noticeable impacts and played significant roles in delivering Liverpool a chance at a League title. Now, more than ever, is the perfect opportunity for Keita to make a name for himself.

It was last time out against Burnley that Keita seemed to turn the corner. He was ever present in that match and, if not for a ridiculous Joe Hart save, came close to opening his account for Liverpool. His ability to pick passes and run at the packed in Burney backline was part of the reason why Liverpool ended up walking away with the 3 points. Since then, however, Keita has failed to kick on.

During this season we’ve seen Alisson make saves, like the ones against Chelsea, Everton, and Burnley, that have led to Liverpool collecting more points than they would have. We watched Shaqiri bang in the winning goals against United that will, at the very least, cement him in Liverpool lore. We have also seen Fabinho become a world class defensive midfielder, dominating the center of the park and erasing any memories of his bedding in period. Naby Keita needs a signature moment, or moments, to ensure his name is included in the story of this memorable season.

Naby was unfortunate to be left out of the last few matches. Prior to the United game, he was beginning to play himself into form and it looked as if he was beginning to really turn the corner. Though it is disappointing he hasn’t played a significant role in the season thus far, there is still time to make an impact and build on the recent turn of performances. With 9 games left, and at least one big European night on the horizon, there is an opportunity for Naby to finally announce his arrival.

Prediction

We’re staying in the domestic table where David and I both backed our way into a point by predicting a clean sheet against Everton. That puts myself on 39 points whilst David is on 35.

With Burnley most likely to come and park the bus, I think we will opt for the 4–2–3–1. Bobby returns to take up the 10 in behind Mo and Shaq gets a chance to start out on the right wing. I also suspect we get a taste of the Fabinho-Keita combo that we have been deprived of thus far.

I just don’t see us letting Burnley throw a wrench in our title run. Someone is going to eventually come to Anfield and get the better of us, but it isn’t going to be Sean Dyche’s Burnley. Reds put down a statement. 3–0.

David’s Prediction: The Reds have been impenetrable in their last five, last conceding to West Ham on February 4. Alisson is in with a shout for the clean sheet record and I honestly think he gets it, with Virgil van Dijk an obvious candidate for player of the year. Part of that POTY effort will be his goal scoring which we’ve seen very little of, until now. I think he snags one to kick off the scoring in this game and finishes with 10 on the season before it’s all over (he’s got 3 so far). Anyhow, he gets us started and it opens Burnley right up. A few unexpected names on the scoresheet in this one, but the Reds finish with an emphatic 4–0.