Unless you have been living under a rock for most of 2022, I am sure you would have heard about what has been happening in the Premier League. The bridesmaid to Manchester City’s bride, Liverpool, has found themselves on an incredible run of form. That form has seen them cut a 14 point gap to Manchester City at the top of the Premier League standings, to a solitary point. The two sides will meet each other on April 10th at the Etihad Stadium in what is being described as a Premier League cup final.
Liverpool’s form isn’t just tied to the Premier League, however. They lifted the first piece of silverware on offer when they defeated Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out in the Carabao Cup final. They also defeated Inter Milan to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and followed that up by defeating Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup quarter-finals, booking a spot in the semi-finals of that competition as well.
(For the companion piece, talking about City’s chances at winning a treble, go here)
The Reds form has people talking about them completing an unprecedented quadruple. It is a lofty ambition, but not one that is completely out of their reach. Should they manage this feat, it would stand as the most incredible feat in English football since Manchester United completed their famous treble in the 1999 season. In this article, we are going to put my crystal ball to the test and see how achievable this incredible feat is.
Premier League
How it stands – P W D L F A GD Pts
Man City 29 22 4 3 68 15 50 70
Liverpool 29 21 6 2 75 20 55 69
This is where it has all been happening. Back in December, Manchester City had an incredible 14 point lead.
As you can see from the table above, the Reds have eaten that away to a singular point. It is at an incredible point where both sides have their own destiny in their own hands. If either side can win all of their remaining fixtures, they will lift the trophy.
All eyes are now focused on the clash between the two heavyweights at the Etihad on April 10th. I think Liverpool will continue their incredible form and claim the top spot from City in that fixture. They have done it before and I am quietly confident they will do it again. A wonderful goal from Kevin De Bruyne and a truly world-class goal from Mohamed Salah that proclaimed him as the best player on the planet highlighted their fixture at Anfield.
I think the Liverpool attack will score against A Ruben Dias-less defense, whereas City will struggle against a Liverpool backline that has only shipped two goals this calendar year.
Don’t start popping the champagne just yet though Kopites.
Liverpool has a much harsher run of fixtures including matches against arch-rivals Manchester United, local rivals Everton, and top-four hopefuls Tottenham. On the other hand, Manchester City has a relatively easy run compared to the Reds.
They face no top six sides in their run-in & ultimately I think that will be the difference-maker.
I won’t bore you with how I got there, but I will leave you with how I think the top two will finish come to the end of the season as Manchester City wins their third PL title in 4 years.
How it finishes – P W D L F A GD Pts
Man City 38 30 4 4 90 20 70 94
Liverpool 38 28 7 3 94 26 68 91
Champions League
This is the one that means the most for Manchester City. The quarter-final draw sees them take on Atletico Madrid. A fixture they will come through easily?. Liverpool’s quarter-final draw sees them with the easiest potential opponent Benfica. While Benfica are no pushovers, they will probably find things tough against one of the best sides on the planet. Liverpool’s victory will see them probably face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals.
That is a draw that will pit two of the most fearsome goal-scorers on the planet as Mohamed Salah will take on Robert Lewandowski. Liverpool has the wood over Bayern in recent years and I see them defeating Die Bayern.
That will set up a mouth-watering final at the Stade De France between The Reds and………..
Manchester City.
That’s right, I think this season’s Champions League final will pit the best two sides on the continent against each other. And this is where Liverpool will gain some revenge on City. Liverpool will defeat City to win the Champions League. It will be a victory that will hurt City as much as their league victory will hurt the Reds.
FA Cup
The semi-finals of the world’s oldest knockout Cup competition will see the two heavyweights of Liverpool and Manchester City face each other. The winner will likely face Chelsea, who faces Crystal Palace in an all-London semi-final on the other side of the draw.
I’ve touched on this twice already in this article, but I will spell it out again. I think the Liverpool attack is too strong for a City defense that is missing Ruben Dias. It’ll be tight and will probably go to extra time, but Liverpool’s unrelenting attack will get a late goal and book a second Cup final date at Wembley this season against Chelsea.
I think the sheer amount of fixtures and Chelsea’s hunger to both end a controversial season on a high and gain revenge for their Carabao Cup loss will see the Reds fall short. To make my boss happy, I’ll say Christian Pulisic scores the winner in a nervy 1-0 victory for The Pensioners.
So there you have it. I have given my crystal ball quite the workout and Liverpool’s attempt at a quadruple will fall short. The Reds will have to settle for a Champions League/ Carabao Cup double.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.