Phil Thompson explains three things could stop Jurgen Klopp ending Liverpool title wait (Image: GETTY)
Liverpool hero Phil Thompson thinks luck, injuries and red cards will be the three most decisive factors standing between the Reds and a first ever Premier League title.
The Merseyside club have not won the league since 1990, with England’s top flight rebranding to the Premier League two years later.
Jurgen Klopp and co. were denied in agonising circumstances last term, accruing a club-record 97 points but still coming second to Manchester City, who claimed a second successive crown.
But Liverpool’s 3-1 win over City prior to the current international break means they are nine points clear of Pep Guardiola’s charges and eight ahead of Leicester and Chelsea, who sit second and third respectively.
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Liverpool have dropped just two points after 12 matches despite having faced all of the big six, including both Manchester United and Chelsea away from home.
Their commanding advantage atop the table has seen some suggest the title race is all but over already, with Klopp having only overseen one defeat in the Reds’ last 51 league matches.
But Thompson, a seven-time title-winner at Anfield, believes there are several obstacles standing in their way for the mean time.
Asked by Sporting Life what could stop Liverpool winning the league, former centre-back Thompson said: “It is that little bit of luck, at times, the little bit of VAR going in your favour, that could equally go against you.
Phil Thompson explains three things could stop Jurgen Klopp ending Liverpool title wait (Image: GETTY)
Phil Thompson explains three things could stop Jurgen Klopp ending Liverpool title wait (Image: GETTY)
It has decimated City’s defence, and if they had everybody fit, they could have been a lot closer to Liverpool
Phil Thompson
“Red cards will be massive too - you only need a red card and then your backs are against the wall, especially against the big boys.
“But the biggest one of all is injures. It has decimated City’s defence, and if they had everybody fit, they could have been a lot closer to Liverpool.”
Thompson is confident that the current Liverpool team, who won the Champions League last season, have what it takes to survive the pressure of being title favourites.
He added: “I think this team has not only lived with the pressure but the expectancy of what 30 years without winning a title brings.
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Phil Thompson explains three things could stop Jurgen Klopp ending Liverpool title wait (Image: GETTY)