We are midway through the 2019/20 English Premier League season, and Liverpool has already opened a 16-point gap at the top after 22 rounds, with a game to spare. The chasing pack of Manchester City, Leicester, and Chelsea have been inconsistent in their performances. Interestingly, all the traditional top 6 lost points at the weekend, bar Liverpool who beat one of the traditional topsides Manchester United.
When everyone was thinking Pep Guardiola’s side was about to mount a late challenge like they did last season, Crystal Palace had other ideas. The duel between the defending champions and the Londoners ended in a disappointing 2-2 draw, thanks to a last-minute own goal from City’s stand-in defender Fernandinho. That was not the only highlight of the EPL betting with Betway, though.
Leicester, on the other hand, have not been the same for the last few matches. Perhaps the new contract curse is here to bite. Traditionally, managers signing new contracts in the middle of a season has been seen as a bad omen. The 2016 surprise champions were on a roll before Brendan Rogers extended his stay at the King Power, but what became of the Foxes after that is a mystery. He saw his side fall to the mighty Liverpool and Southampton at home, and most recently, to strugglers Burnley.
Both City and Leicester were expected to mount a challenge to catch runaway leaders Liverpool before Christmas, but it was Jurgen Klopp’s side who performed incredibly to open an assailable lead coming into 2020. Mathematically, the league title is yet to be won, but logically, no team looks capable of overtaking Liverpool. You can bet on the remaining EPL fixtures with Betway.
Familiar grounds
Jurgen Klopp led his Liverpool side to an incredible second-place finish with 97 points last season. That was after leading for much of the season, including Christmas. At one point, Liverpool led City by 10 points, but a series of disappointing draws coupled with City’s winning streak of 12 matches on the trot saw one point decide the title in City’s favour.
There are 16 matches to play, and it doesn’t look like Liverpool can repeat the same mistake. They have been victims of a common statistic, where they remain the only side to lead on Christmas day, and fail to win the EPL trophy; thrice. Klopp’s men are rejuvenated. They are hungry, and they know how much it means to the fans. No let ups going into the climax of the season, and the Liverpool players remain focused on taking one game at a time. They have been quick to dismiss the talk of winning the title in the media, but the world understands the kind of discipline Klopp has instilled into his army.
Pep Guardiola has occasionally conceded that his team is incapable of catching Liverpool, and his eyes will be set on the second place, and the UEFA Champions League. Brendan Rogers, on his part, made it clear that his team were never on the running in the first place. But wherever position Leicester finishes on the table, they’ve certainly had an incredible season.
