After a string of favourable results which went Liverpool’s way yesterday, the time has come for the Reds to capitalise.
Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to Vicarage Road tonight, and nothing less than three points will do. You have to say, looking at Liverpool’s run-in and rivals’ results, it would really be criminal if they surrendered a top four to arch-rivals Manchester United.
With United, Manchester City and Arsenal all dropping points on Sunday, Champions League destiny is back in Liverpool’s hands.
The Reds have Watford, Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough still to play; on paper, any side would smack their lips at the prospect of these fixtures.
But, then you have Liverpool. Despite being renowned for an impressive record against the top six this season, they are equally distinguished for failing miserably against weaker outfits.
The lack of Klopp’s Plan A has been cited as a predominant factor contributing to these failures; which reached its nadir during the turn of the year. There is more at play than just mentality here – and this prevalent occurrence has to be put to bed.
Walter Mazzarri’s Watford have endured an relatively successful season – they lie in tenth place (although they’re four points worse off than this stage last season). They may have been poor in their 2-0 defeat away to relegation-battlers Hull, but they have stung a few big sides too.
Manchester United and Everton were beaten 3-1 and 3-2 at Vicarage Road back in September and December respectively – the Hornets even took three points away at Arsenal. Their away form has been awful, but at home, the contrast is staggering.
Watford have only lost on five occasions on home soil this season, and look destined for safety in the Premier League for the second consecutive season.
One man who has been vital for them has been captain Troy Deeney.
He has been the answer to some of their goalscoring problems this season, scoring ten goals in 35 appearances. M’Baye Niang is another to watch out for with his direct threat and pace out wide – it will be a real test of Nathaniel Clyne’s customary reliability at right-back.
Jurgen Klopp must find a way to motivate his team for this occasion. A win would take the Reds four points clear of fifth placed Manchester United; but a draw or defeat would be a huge blow for their Champions League aspirations.
It really doesn’t matter how the game is won. Ruthlessness is what is really needed for this occasion. The league table does not show who has played the best football.
Essentially, four cup finals lie ahead for Liverpool. They must capitalise on their rivals’ failure to displace them from the top four. If they fail to do so, they will be left to rue this at the end of the season.
