Arne Slot acknowledges Liverpool fans after the win at Crystal Palace but will they be applauding a title win at the end of the season? (Picture: Getty Images)
We are only seven games into the Premier League season but the title race has already realistically been whittled down to three clubs.
On reflection that is one more than most fans had pencilled in to be leading contenders to be crowned champions before a ball was kicked but Liverpool have been better than expected and justifiably sit proudly on top of the table heading into the second international break in a month.
Now it’s perfectly understandable that the managers of national teams want to assemble their squads on a regular basis and a B-list competition like the Nations League is preferable to a meaningless friendly with no cutting edge.
But three breaks from domestic affairs in as many months (there’s another one in November) is taking frustrations to the extreme as all momentum is lost.
Reds manager Arne Slot will be particularly irritated that he cannot keep his star players at Anfield and could well be fearful of another adverse reaction when his players return from international duty.
After the break in September Liverpool lost their only game of the season when they were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest in front of the Kop.
That’s their only defeat of the season as they have taken 18 points from a possible 21 which is a superb haul.
A possible criticism is that the only team they have played in the top ten are Forest but the positive spin is that the way to win titles is by beating the weaker opposition in the division and making sure you don’t lose to your rivals at the top.
When they return the Reds entertain Chelsea, who remain something of an enigma, and their next league games are at Arsenal, home to Brighton and away at Aston Villa.
There’s the gimme at Southampton before they entertain Manchester City four days after the visit of Real Madrid which bears all the hallmarks of a Champions League classic.
Diogo Jota hit the only goal at Selhurst Park on Saturday (Picture: Liverpool FC via Getty Images
That run of games will determine if Liverpool can remain in the hunt for the title and if they come out of it well their odds of 7/2 with the majority of firms to lift the trophy will be long gone.
City are 7/4 with Paddy Power, bet365, Betfair and Sky Bet while Arsenal, our ante-post selection and still the choice to win it all, are 13/8 favourites with Betway.
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