Ex-Arsenal defender makes surprise Liverpool claim which might stun even the most optimistic Reds
Even the most unyieldingly optimistic of Liverpool fans would have a hard time believing that the Reds can still retain their Premier League title…but one former Arsenal defender isn’t completely ruling out that fanciful possibility.
From being five points ahead of the Gunners towards the end of September, the reigning champions now find themselves 14 adrift of Mikel Arteta’s league-leading outfit going into the teams’ showdown at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday night.
Plenty of pundits have unsurprisingly forecast a comfortable home win tomorrow, and John Aldridge is among those who feel that Arne Slot’s side are realistically battling to secure a top-four finish for the remainder of this thoroughly disappointing campaign.
Eboue not ruling Liverpool out of title race
However, despite the frightening chasm between the two teams in the Premier League table, Emmanuel Eboue claimed that Liverpool could still nudge themselves back into title contention in the second half of the season.
The ex-Arsenal defender said (via Metro Sport): “I think we’ve got four teams still in the title race this season. I think Arsenal and Manchester City will obviously be up there, but I don’t think Aston Villa or Liverpool are out of it yet.
“Aston Villa are so close in points to the top of the table, and they’ve done incredible up to this point this season. It’s going to be tough, for sure, but I don’t think you can rule them out of the title race, based on what I’ve seen so far.”
Securing top-4 finish is Liverpool’s priority for now
We can understand Eboue incluiding Villa in the mix (they’re currently just six points off Arsenal), but including Liverpool in the conversation feels charitable to the point that you might question whether it’s mere mind games ahead of tomorrow night’s fixture.
Even if the Reds win at the Emirates on Thursday, they’d still be 11 points adrift of the leaders with 17 matches remaining. If a victory would’ve moved them within single digits, it might just about seem plausible that they could pull off an incredible fightback, but realistically it’s impossible to envisage.
Right now, the primary aim for Slot’s side is to try and pull clear of the chasing pack for fourth place, something they failed to do twice in the past week despite both Chelsea and Manchester United granting then the opportunity to do so.
Even a draw tomorrow would probably feel like a point gained, but then it’s imperative that Liverpool follow it up with wins over Burnley and Bournemouth, two of the most out-of-form teams in the division.
Despite Eboue’s wishful claims, the title race is realistically beyond the Reds at this stage barring a miracle. The focus now needs to be on finally putting together a prolonged winning streak to make Champions League qualification a certainty rather than a possibility.
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