Alan Shearer and Jermain Defoe recently shared their predictions on Liverpool position in the Premier League table.
The previous night saw Arsenal face an unexpected setback, losing 2-0 to West Ham United at the Emirates. This result gave Liverpool a significant advantage, maintaining their position at the top of the league as the New Year approaches. Currently, after 19 matches, Liverpool leads by two points over Arsenal.
However, when questioned about their forecasts for the final top four teams by Amazon Prime Video Sport on Thursday evening, both Defoe and Shearer expressed doubts about Jurgen Klopp’s team maintaining their top spot.
“City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa,” said Shearer. “I wanted to put Newcastle in but I can’t!”
Meanwhile, Defoe ignored his fellow pundit’s reservations and put his own team high in the standings. “City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Arsenal,” said the Spurs legend. We shall see.
Liverpool Predicted to Finish Second
It’s intriguing to observe how swiftly perceptions can shift in football. Prior to the recent match, many analysts would have predicted Arsenal to outperform Liverpool.
However, after Arsenal defeat to West Ham, their odds have diminished, now considered only the third most likely to clinch the league title.
At this juncture, it feels premature to definitively predict the outcome of the season.
Yet, judging from the recent match, Arsenal’s prospects appear to be dwindling as we approach the New Year.
Just a week ago, Arsenal narrowly escaped defeat at Anfield, with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold missing a crucial opportunity.
However, their fortune took a turn for the worse in the recent match. Despite having several opportunities to secure victory, Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta’s guidance, failed to capitalize.
While West Ham demonstrate commendable prowess, a top-tier team shouldn’t succumb 2-0 at home to contenders outside the top ranks. Arsenal’s situation might have been graver had Said Benrahma succeeded with his late penalty attempt.
Looking at Manchester City, their position could strengthen, trailing Liverpool by only two points if they triumph in their upcoming fixture. The future looks daunting from this perspective. While the prevailing forecasts seem reasonable, a City-Liverpool showdown might be on the horizon.
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