Neil Humphreys: Why Reds' wobble matters
Klopp's depleted side deserve better, so does the title race
As ever, the sensible James Milner has helped to explain why this week seems so pivotal in the title race.
In terms of perspective, the Liverpool veteran offered both pleasure and pain.
Let's deal with the pleasure first. Should the Reds win their game in hand, they'll be top of the English Premier League table in mid-February, an unthinkable prospect in pre-season, when Manchester City were tipped to break more records than a youthful Usain Bolt.
But the pain comes with watching Milner toil as a makeshift right-back, the physical embodiment of the Freudian dream that we all have, the one about being unprepared for an exam, job or speech.
At West Ham, he was a 33-year-old midfielder with no pace being exposed by much younger men running past him at right-back. There was nowhere to hide.
Milner deserved better. And so does the title race.
Title winners do not usually prevail with a 33-year-old midfielder at right-back, no matter how committed. And Manchester City will not fear challengers forced to employ a 33-year-old midfielder at right-back.
And that's why Milner's comments are both perceptive and alarming. Liverpool should savour their current position, considering they are somehow sending out a wounded squad with more Band-Aids than a First Aid box.
Right now, it's hard to shrug the sense of foreboding that the closest title race in years might peter out by Easter, particularly when one examines the fixture list.
Once they've played Chelsea, City then face a generally benign run of games against mid-table mediocrity, whilst Liverpool will be thrown banana skins at Manchester United and Everton.
All of which makes the excited chatter of a Liverpool implosion more galling. Yes, City's return to form remains an aesthetic treat for the armchair viewer, but the Reds' recent stumbles are hardly a cause for celebration.
Liverpool's wobbles matter, for reasons other than their own.
Even United's zealots, those who'd rather see a gang of three-legged aardvarks lift the trophy than the Merseyside mob, should be careful what they wish for.
Apart from the obvious financial disparity between City and Liverpool - the Citizens' net spend over the last five seasons is around three times that of the Reds - a glance at their respective benches should sound the alarm.
Against West Ham United, Juergen Klopp had the option of bringing on the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri, Daniel Sturridge, Alberto Moreno and Divock Origi. How many of those names make City's bench?
Against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola had Fabian Delph, John Stones, Danilo, Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus to call upon. Now, how many of those expensive trinkets would make Liverpool's bench? Four? Five? All of them?
Whatever the exact numbers, they are entirely in favour of a club with a near inexhaustible supply of resources, from the subs bench to the staff canteen.
The chasm between the two sides was neatly illustrated by the way they have played and responded in recent weeks.
Guardiola has acknowledged that the title race could be decided by goal difference and encouraged his side to score more goals. So they knocked in three against Arsenal, just because they could.
Against West Ham, Liverpool had to force round pegs into square pegs and hope for the best.
With Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez missing, the gaps between Joel Matip and Milner were targeted and penetrated at West Ham.
Beyond chest-thumping and rowing with officials, Klopp had little else to offer. He knows the problems, but there are not enough solutions on his bench.
Liverpool didn't drop points against Leicester City and West Ham because they laboured under the weight of that 29-year-old monkey. They failed to win for more prosaic reasons. They looked shattered.
On the touchline, Klopp had the air of a runaway steam locomotive driver wondering if he had enough coal left to complete the journey.
In private moments of reflection, he probably doesn't know.
As Milner rightly pointed out, Liverpool have done exceptionally well to get this far. Should they falter again, however, City will disappear over the horizon.
And that's not really a race worth celebrating.
TOP TWO'S FEB FIXTURES
LIVERPOOL:
Saturday: Bournemouth (home)
Feb 20: Bayern Munich (Champions League, home)
Feb 24: Manchester United (away)
Feb 28: Watford (home)
MANCHESTER CITY:
Sunday: Chelsea (home)
Feb 17: Newport County (FA Cup, away)
Feb 21: Schalke 04 (Champions League, away)
Feb 25: Chelsea (League Cup final)
Feb 28: West Ham (home)
* All games in Singapore time
** EPL games unless stated
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