The same forces that have slung Manchester City and Liverpool together since the summer are unlikely to relent before May.
If Manchester United’s hopes of being involved in the title race at the beginning of the season were delivered a Jose Mourinho-sized wrecking ball, Marcus Rashford’s Wembley winner looks to have ended Tottenham’s hopes about two weeks after Mauricio Pochettino had belatedly declared his team in the race.
City and Liverpool have been a cut above every other team since the first ball was kicked in August, and the remainder of the campaign is likely to be portrayed as a battle of blows and responses between the top two.
The main contenders for the Premier League title have significant differences though, and one crucial departure from the managers is what they think will be required to lift the trophy.
Jurgen Klopp expressed his belief, one game shy of the halfway point, that the record points tally set by City last season could be overhauled by May.
“At the end of season you need 105 [points] to be champion – it could be,” he said.
Even with defeat at the Etihad, Liverpool could reach that number should they win their remaining 16 games. That would be at least four points more than the Blues could manage, who could find themselves in the position of beating last season’s total and yet not winning the league.
Pep Guardiola, though, does not think that will happen.
City have had to cope with lots of injuries as players have struggled after their World Cup exertions
City’s boss made it known even before the end of last season that 100 points could not be improved on this time after the demands of the World Cup.
Ahead of the home game with the leaders this month, Guardiola said that “we have a lot of games to go and I think everyone will lose points, even Liverpool” and spoke after the Wolves game about waiting for Klopp’s side to slip up.
Given both teams are pushing hard in the Champions League (as well as the domestic cups where City are concerned), it would be remarkable to see a high points tally in the Premier League.
For example, United won the league with 78 points when they won their treble in 1999, and 91 points the following year when they were knocked out of Europe in the quarter-finals and infamously didn’t enter the FA Cup. They got 87 points when they won the Champions League in 2008, and 90 the following year when they were defeated finalists.
To go deep in the Champions League and improve on the best-ever Premier League finish would be unprecedented, and not something Guardiola is projecting.
However, Chelsea in Antonio Conte’s first season and indeed the Centurions last year showed that great teams can smash expectations. City’s coach is correct when he says that his team have the numbers to be champions, but if Liverpool can hit the numbers Klopp is predicting it will be the Merseyside team celebrating at the end of the season.