EPL: Enjoy the ride, forget title talk

EPL: Enjoy the ride, forget title talk

I know I've been a bit of a wet blanket lately for some of the Liverpool fans who are talking about winning the title.

It goes without saying that my old club are looking good right now and there's nothing that I want more than to see Liverpool win the league.

If you told me back in 1991 that the Reds would not win a title from then until now, I would've said that the people in the white coats were coming to take you to an asylum.

I couldn't see it happening, but that's the way it has gone.

But, right now, I think Liverpool fans should just enjoy the ride instead of getting caught up with too much talk about winning the title this season.

My approach to such things is to be balanced - you shouldn't get too high or too low too early on in the season.

Just look at the Arsenal fans.

After losing to Aston Villa at the Emirates Stadium in their opening game, they were saying that they're rubbish and Arsene Wenger's got to go.

Now that the Gunners have signed German superstar Mesut Oezil and won three games on the trot, I've actually had someone on my radio show saying: "Can Arsenal win the league?"

That said, I do like how things are shaping up for Liverpool right now.

Compared to last year's opening 3-0 defeat by West Brom, I thought Liverpool were a lot more confident when they started their season by beating Stoke 1-0.

The team have a perfect record after three games, and there finally seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

The club are on the right road at the moment and Brendan Rodgers' work isn't just about this year - it's about the next five or even 10 years.

While there is a lot to be confident about for Liverpool, it is still early in the season and you've just got to hope that they can sustain it.

Even though the transition at big teams like Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea leaves the door open in the title race, there are still a lot of good teams up there like Arsenal and Tottenham.

I was especially impressed with Spurs, who look young, hungry and balanced with new signings like Christian Eriksen, Paulinho and Erik Lamela shining alongside their teammates.

Weaknesses

At the moment, the depth of Rodgers' squad and their experience aren't quite enough for me.

I also have questions as to whether the team can score enough goals to mount a title challenge.

While I'm happy with the midfielders like Lucas Leiva, who has a tremendous year ahead of him as he tries to break into the Brazil squad in a World Cup year, I'm not so sure about the team's backline.

In goal, Simon Mignolet seems to have an edginess about his game that could lead to mistakes.

In central defence, I'm personally not convinced by Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and Kolo Toure as I don't see enough pace between them, while Tiago Ilori and Mamadou Sakho aren't experienced enough to challenge for a regular spot yet.

While I think Liverpool are okay at left back, there's a problem on the opposite side as there's no one to replace Glen Johnson if he's out.

However, the biggest key for Liverpool are the forwards like Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez and the excellent Philippe Coutinho.

If they can stay fit for the rest of the season, I'm sure Liverpool can challenge for a place in the top four.


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