This could be Liverpool's season

This could be Liverpool's season

Until a couple of weeks ago, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had insisted that his side were not in contention for the English Premier League title.

If a dramatic 3-2 victory at Fulham on Feb 12 changed that, then Sunday's 4-3 win over a stubborn Swansea City has confirmed that they are indeed in the running for a first league crown in 24 years.

Granted, these were matches against clubs in the bottom half of the table that the Reds, on paper, would have been expected to win.

There was nothing easy about either fixture, though - which makes both results even more of a boost to the team's morale.

Clearly, however, Liverpool are lacking defensively.

Opponents are always likely to score - Fulham and Swansea managed it, and upcoming fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea could provide stern tests.

But this is an attack-minded squad and, as they have showed in recent weeks, Rodgers' side have the capacity to score more goals than they ship.

And it is all down to their fighting spirit; there is no hiding the fact that this is a Liverpool side hungry for success.

Against both Fulham and Swansea, they could have easily settled for draws that would have kept them in the fourth and final Champions League berth.

Instead, a willingness to fight right up to the final whistle turned a potential return of two points into an invigorating six.

From a player's point of view, nothing instils a sense of belief quite like results like these.

After all, teams that ultimately win championships are the ones that find a way to win even when they are not at their best.

There is no doubt that fellow title chasers Chelsea, Arsenal and City are taking notice of Liverpool's momentum.

Unlike the top three, Liverpool do not have the distractions of cup competitions, which means they have the luxury of recovery time between matches.

In fact, the Reds may have benefited from missing out on European football this term.

Just look at how players like Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson are coming into form at the right time.

It is testament to their contributions that club top-scorer Luis Suarez has not even been on the scoresheet in the wins over Fulham and Swansea. But the Uruguayan is still the team's most dangerous attacker and Rodgers will hope that he, captain Steven Gerrard and the likes of Sturridge and Henderson, steer clear of injuries from now until the end of the season.

The key, though, is that this Liverpool side are not dependent on just one player.

For the past few seasons, the club have talked about assembling a squad capable of breaking back into the top four.

But if the past two weeks are anything to go by, the class of 2014 is capable of even more.


Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

 

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.