Are Liverpool being underestimated in the Premier League title race?

20/09/21 1908

With the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United spending big during the summer, Liverpool headed into the 2021/22 Premier League season under the radar.

Man City forked out £100 million to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, Chelsea lured Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge, while Man Utd spent over £125 million on Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Liverpool, meanwhile, spent a mere £36 million on one player – Ibrahima Konate – and saw key midfielder Geroginio Wijnaldum leave for Paris Saint-Germain.

Given the Reds’ lack of activity in the transfer window, many believed they would struggle to compete for the Premier League title this term.

However, after five games, Jurgen Klopp’s men find themselves sitting joint-top of the table – alongside Chelsea.

Liverpool are unbeaten this season, having picked up four wins and a draw from their opening five league matches – as well as a victory over AC Milan in the Champions League.

Only one club – Man Utd – has scored more goals in the division, while no team has conceded fewer goals than Klopp’s side.

It is also worth pointing out that Liverpool are three points clear of defending champions Man City and are one of only three teams in England’s top tier that have yet to taste defeat this term.

Mohamed Salah has been at his brilliant best, bagging five goals and two assists in six appearances across all competitions.

On top of that, Sadio Mane has netted three goals, Diogo Jota already has a couple to his name, while Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Naby Keita have also chipped in from midfield.

At the other end of the pitch, the returning Virgil van Dijk has been immense – playing a pivotal role in his team’s impressive start to the campaign.

In fact, the Dutchman has helped Liverpool to keep four clean sheets across six outings in all competitions this season.

It is no real surprise that Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd grabbed the headlines in the lead-up to the 2021/22 campaign. After all, they all invested heavily and added world-class players to their squads.

Yet, when you look at Liverpool’s squad, there is no reason why they can’t keep pace with the frontrunners and mount a serious title challenge this term.

Although they didn’t make any marquee signings during the off-season, the Reds are still more than capable of regaining the trophy they won in 2019/20.

Sitting pretty at the top of the table after five games, Liverpool certainly shouldn’t be overlooked in this season’s Premier League title race.