Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson is confident Jurgen Klopp’s undefeated Liverpool side will falter this season.
Hodgson, who guided Palace to a famous victory at the Etihad on Saturday, insists Pep Guardiola will not be concerned by being four points behind at this stage of the season.
Can Liverpool end the season unbeaten? Five things you need to know…
- Liverpool are currently top of the league after 18 games and are yet to taste defeat in the Premier League, winning 15 and drawing three.
- Defending champions Manchester City have already lost twice, being beaten 2-0 by Chelsea and 3-2 by Crystal Palace last weekend.
- Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren has already mentioned the possibility of matching Arsenal’s Invincible season on 2003/04.
- But Palace manager Roy Hodgson believes Liverpool will taste defeat before the Premier League season is up.
- Liverpool (seven) have conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Premier League this season
“I don’t think Pep [Guardiola] will be concerned about it,” Hodgson, himself a former Liverpool manager, told the Express.
“There are still 20 games to play and no matter how Liverpool play they will come against a game like this. Someone, somewhere will beat them against the odds.”
Liverpool have had a brilliant season so far. They are undefeated in 18 games, have conceded the fewest number of goals and are top of the Premier League at Christmas.
Should the Reds avoid defeat against Newcastle United on Boxing Day, they will have remained unbeaten against all other 19 Premier League teams so far this season.
Manchester City won the Premier League last season in record-breaking fashion, clinching the title with 100 points on the board and suffered only two defeats.
Does Liverpool’s unbeaten run make then favourites this season?
The last Premier League team to win the title without suffering a defeat was Arsenal’s “Invincibles” side during the 2003/04 season. Arsene Wenger’s men finished the league 30 points ahead of Liverpool. Despite their unbeaten run they did not earn the maximum number of points that season and were 10 points shy of the century City hit last campaign.
Draws prevented Arsenal from achieving an astronomical points hall in their record breaking campaign, 12 of them to be exact, and draws could hamstring the Reds this campaign.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have already drawn three times this season and the law of averages suggests they will drop points again before the end of their campaign. A lack of goals might also see Liverpool stumble, even though Mohamed Salah is firing on all cylinders again this season, his side have notched 11 fewer goals than City in second place.
If Salah or Sadio Mane suffer and injuries or suspensions going forward, the Reds could fall behind without a prolific out-and-out striker in their squad.
The post Liverpool will slip up like Man City, says Roy Hodgson appeared first on Squawka News.
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