As Liverpool prepare to defend their 20th English title against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday, they are ready for a spectacular Premier League title party.
With only four games left, Liverpool will be 13 points adrift of second-placed Arsenal, who are mathematically out of reach with a draw.
The manager believes they have a “big responsibility” to seal the deal in front of their own fans after they have been a “hot favorite” to win just their second title in the Premier League era for months.
Five years ago, the Reds won their final championship game with a slightly anticlimactic theme due to the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving Anfield almost empty when the trophy was presented due to restrictions.
In the matchday program, Slot said, “What we have now and what we have in the rest of the season is a wonderful opportunity that we should take advantage of with both hands.”
We now need to finish the work that began in the summer of last year, which would have been an incredible achievement.
In anticipation of Liverpool’s coronation, tens of thousands of fans flocked to Anfield to watch the home team bus arrive, setting off flares in the warm spring sunshine.
From stalls outside the stadium were “Liverpool 20-time Champions” banners and scarves available.
On paper, Spurs, who are 16th in the table and haven’t won at Anfield since 2011, have little to worry about for Liverpool.
Liverpool will be even more pleased with their upcoming title win because it will bring them two league goals ahead of bitter rivals Manchester United in terms of both club’s combined success in English top-flight history.
Salah stars:
Liverpool kept their foot on the gas as their rivals struggled, with the relentless Mohamed Salah as inspiration.
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola team was the first team to win five titles in a row, extending their dynastic Premier League dominance at the start of the campaign.
After two straight runners-up finishes behind City, Mikel Arteta was viewed as the driving force.
However, neither club has been able to match Liverpool’s consistency and intensity.
After nine glittering years at Anfield, it was believed that Liverpool’s players would need some time to adjust to Slot’s methods. He took over as Jurgen Klopp’s replacement in June.
However, the former Feyenoord manager quickly resigned and switched to a more controlled, possession-based game, replacing Klopp’s “heavy metal” style of football with a high press.
In his third game in charge, Slot celebrated a statement victory at Old Trafford, winning 3-1, before conceding defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield.
As Chelsea struggled before City, Liverpool won 11 of their first 13 league games, going one-game clear of City.
Arsenal made an appearance as their closest rival, but they drew too many games, failing to capitalize on the frequently missed Liverpool mistakes.
Despite constant rumors about the futures of three of his biggest stars, Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Slot has flown peacefully throughout the season.
Van Dijk and Salah both recently signed two-year extensions, though Alexander-Arnold is rumored to be close to joining Real Madrid as England’s defensive partner.
Salah has shown the difference by contributing 18 assists and 27 league goals thus far, which is a record for total goal involvements in a 38-game campaign.
After a fiery 2-2 draw with Everton in February, the normally calm sloth lost his cool and was given a two-game touchline ban, despite having acknowledged that “emotions got the better of me.”
When Liverpool lost to Fulham earlier this month, marking just their second league defeat of the season, they hit yet another roadblock, but the title victory was already a formality.
After surviving the Champions League group stage, Slot’s men fought back against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 before suffering a surprise defeat to Newcastle in the final match.
Source: Channels TV
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