Like most of you, I’m sure, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Aston Villa game and the way it made us all feel.
Clearly there is something in the belief that if you let this Manchester City side get in front, they’ll just power on to the finish line. We’ve watched that happen time and again in the Premier League, even the very best efforts of the best Liverpool team since the dominant sides of the 70s and 80s couldn’t do much about it. It was sometimes close, but bar that one time during the surreal Covid afflicted season, it has always played out in City’s favour.
Even then, it was as much about City not being at their best level, losing 5 Premier League games before the end of December, while Liverpool didn’t lose their first game until February. Which isn’t to take anything away from them or diminish their title win in any way, but that was atypical of Pep Guardiola’s side and the Mugsmashers took full advantage.
In every other season though, that need to be almost perfect is there. Bar that first season, where he came in and didn’t really have the players he wanted or needed, their record is absurd.
2017-18: Champions, 100 points, lost 2 games.
2018-19: Champions, 98 points, lost 4 games and still beat a Liverpool side who lost only once in the league (97 points).
2019-20: The aforementioned Liverpool title win. City still finished second, losing 9 times, but still 15 points ahead of third place Man Utd.
2020-21: Champions, 86 points, lost 6 times, but Liverpool were poor by their standards, losing 9 games, and finishing third. City won it by 12 points with Man Utd second.
2021-22: Champions with 93 points, losing 3 games. Liverpool finished second on 92 points having lost 2 games all season, taking 54 from the last 57 points available (19 games), and it still wasn’t enough.
2022-23: Champions, winning 14 and drawing 1 in a run between February and May to overtake us as our challenge faded with the injuries to Saliba and Tomiyasu…
Source link : https://arseblog.com/2024/04/fighting-the-present-and-the-past/
Author : arseblog
Publish date : 2024-04-16 06:50:31
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