Premier League winners odds:
Man City 1/7, Liverpool 9/2
Match odds:
Liverpool 1/7, Draw 13/2, Wolves 14/1
The final league game of the season.
4th year in a row it has been mine, they haven’t been bad times have they? Can I do this every year?
Yes I am claiming a part of the success, look its my preview and I will claim what I want.
So then Jurgen’s mentality monsters?
What a journey it’s been. The season did start well but in January, it seemed it might be a stroll for Manchester City. Oh, ye of little faith, 14 points behind (albeit with two games in hand), Liverpool have dropped just 4 points in their last 17 games since a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in January.
This team simply doesn’t know when it is beaten, coming from behind has become a trait, indeed in all competitions we have trailed against our opponents in 4 of our last 5 games and lost none. West Hams draw with Man City last Sunday means that following wins over Aston Villa and Southampton, Liverpool go into the final day of the league season just one point behind City. It is the third time since 2014, that we have gone into the final game of the season with a chance to win the title, on both previous occasions City got over the line without too much drama, maybe this is third time lucky? We are due something dramatic, aren’t we?
On one of those occasions our opponents were Wolverhampton Wanderers, just like Sunday again. It was a match I attended in 2019 and there were similar circumstances, unfortunately I am not attending the game this time as I am on a stag, just to mention it for the sake of it, I changed my flight home from the stag as when I booked it, I completely didn’t realize this game clashed. When Man City lost 3-2 to Spurs, I couldn’t resist, who knows? It could be the best £2 I have ever spent. It was a no brainer at that cost.
The game in 2019 anyway was similar to now, us trailing by a point on the final day, one game too before we were due to compete in the Champions league final. Anfield was bathed in sunshine, and although I said there wasn’t much drama there was just that little chink of light to tease us, just as Liverpool took the lead against Wolves the crowd started to go wild. Down at Brighton you see, City were losing 1-0 early doors, the word spread and my god the ground was absolutely rocking, you could have heard us in London but ill say again there wasn’t much drama, because within a minute city were level, and it wasn’t long before they were ahead and that was pretty much that.
A lot has changed for Wolves since then compared to us, for instance if Fabinho, Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk were fit then Liverpool could field 10 of the team that started that day, only Gini Wijnaldum left the club in that time. Wolves on the other hand have had substantial changes, 4 of their starters that day including Diogo Jota have left the club whilst long time manager Nuno Espirito Santo left the club last summer, replaced by another Portuguese manager in Bruno Lage.
Wolves have settled into topflight football well since promotion in 2018, for the third time since then they will finish in the top half of the table. It has been an extremely patchy season for Wolves, four defeats in their opening give games and only one goal scored pointed towards a relegation battle but just three defeats in their next 16 games steered them up the table and at one stage they climbed as high as 6th. Two of their defeats were a narrow 1-0 loss against Liverpool courtesy of a very late Divock Origi goal, while one week later they were again on the wrong side of a 1-0 defeat at Man city who required a penalty to win the match, Wolves had also to play that game with 10 men following a red card for Raul Jimenez.
Six wins out of the next eight games left Wolves in a commendable 7th place, just six points off 4th with two games in hand but since then the wheels came off. Wolves have managed just three wins in the last 13 and none in the last six including a 5-1 battering at home to Man City.
Goals have been hard to come by for our visitors, an average of one per game really is poor. Raul Jimenez is the clubs top league scorer with a measly six, Jimenez has also been sent off twice (I must add its fantastic he is simply playing again following horrific head injuries he suffered last year).
Wolves generally line up with a back three. Jose Sa has had a decent season in goal although his ever-present status ended in last weeks draw with Norwich when John Ruddy was selected.
Former Liverpool player and Wolves captain Conor Coady has played every league game this season and usually partners any two of Wily Boly, Max Kilman, Nelson Semedo or Marcal.
A five-man midfield usually comprising of two wings back. Spaniard Jonny and Frenchman Rayan Ait Nouri usually occupy these roles with long time midfielders Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, and Leander Dendoncker in the central roles. The two striking roles will likely go to Jimenez and Pedro Neto although South Korean back up Hwang Hee-Chan did also feature in the Norwich game.
Injury wise Roman Saiss, Max Kilman and Nelson Semedo all look set to miss the trip.
For Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp rang the changes against Aston Villa following the exhausting Fa Cup triumph over Chelsea. Andy Robertson and Thiago did make the bench, but both ended up having the night off while Trent Alexander Arnold and Sadio Mane were left out altogether. Fabinho is facing a race against time to be fit for the Champions league final so is unlikely to feature here while there are doubts over both Virgil Van Dijk and Mo Salah with both players limping off in the Fa cup final. Joe Gomez is also unlikely to feature following an ankle injury picked up at Southampton.
I will finish off again by saying what an incredible season it has been. This team is such a privilege to watch and support, they never give up, they don’t know the meaning of quit, they fight like every game is their last game, they hang in when other teams would fold, they can fight, they can dig in, they can grind out results, they can defend leads, they can come from behind, they can play you off the pitch. They are just amazing, one last time at Anfield this season sing your hearts out.
Winning the title against Wolves on the last day? It has happened before
To be continued……………………
