Everything’s the Best: Marquee Matchups and Meaning
Liverpool are onto match 2 of their Giant Slaying tour, with Manchester City on offer next.
Liverpool’s season has, to this point, gone outrageously well. That’s a full-stop and no qualification. Everyone knows that the quality of the squad that Arne Slot inherited is elite - a team that managed to weather injuries to claim the League Cup and push on towards another potential quad - though falling much shorter than they got two seasons prior.
Still, filling the shoes of an iconic manager - one that will undoubtedly go down among the top 5 of Liverpool managers all-time - is no easy task. And so most fans were absolutely reasonable in dialing their expectations down entering the season.
But we are here, three days after taking Champions League boogeyman Real Madrid to the woodshed, and mere hours from trying claim an 11 point lead over recent Premier League rivals (and owner of 115 charges) Manchester City. Liverpool are top of the leagues and are in prime position to keep it that way.
Liverpool riding this high after such a monumental transition - and after a summer transfer window that no one would have considered successful - is so unexpected that most pundits are still trying to catch-up to the reality of a Liverpool team in full-flight. Narrative shifting from the Reds failing to beat anyone of note to now writing alibis (ex: injury crises for a specific London-based team) for their supposed rivals in the chase for the League title, the journos cannot quite keep up.
But what Liverpool fans are seeing, right now, is feeling more and more real. Not just the results, but the expectation that these performances are the standard for this team. What’s more, it’s clear to most Reds fans that the team still has areas to improve. A scary proposition to think that this Reds squad hasn’t even made it out of second gear, but it’s clear we’ve not seen the best of this team yet.
So here I am, the night before the big test. Not getting carried away. Knowing it’s not all won. I am, though, letting myself dream. And I don’t think it’s too early for that.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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