Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool have sprinted into contention in final straight of title race


Richard Jolly
  • English
  • Arabic

Pep Guardiola seemed to be sounding unnecessarily cautious. Manchester City were 13 points ahead of Chelsea and 14 clear of Liverpool. The obituaries for the title race were being written. Guardiola thought they were premature. “In January, it is impossible it is over,” he said.

He may take little pleasure in being vindicated. Now City’s lead is down to one point. Liverpool have reeled off nine straight wins, taking eight more points than anyone else in a two-month period. They finished the 2018-19 season with nine consecutive victories. Doing so again will entail beating City at the Etihad Stadium. It would also make them champions.

Jurgen Klopp branded momentum “the most fragile flower in the world” but Liverpool have it. They have proved in the past they can sustain it, most notably on a sensational charge of 35 wins out of 36 between March 2019 and February 2020. It was historically brilliant.

On paper, a trip to Arsenal was the second hardest game in this season’s run-in. They prevailed 2-0. Klopp delighted afterwards in Liverpool’s 17th clean sheet of the Premier League campaign.

It was a seventh in nine games in a time when they have only been breached by Odsonne Edouard of Crystal Palace and Norwich winger Milot Rashica.

It is a spell when the often unheralded Joel Matip has been anointed the Premier League’s player of the month, when Virgil van Dijk has returned to his commanding best and when Alisson, as his save from Martin Odegaard demonstrated, has often been a spectator but has made vital interventions.

Andy Robertson kept Bukayo Saka unusually quiet on Wednesday while Trent Alexander-Arnold fought a brilliant duel with Gabriel Martinelli. Liverpool may yet regret the five times they lost leads to draw in the first 20 matches of the season but there has been no repeat in the last nine.

Klopp’s side have acquired a formidable air at both ends of the pitch. If Mohamed Salah’s presence on the bench at the Emirates Stadium was the product of a minor foot injury, it nevertheless demonstrated a strength in depth.

Divock Origi, long Klopp’s talismanic super-sub, did not even make the matchday squad. Klopp’s holy trinity became a fab four and then a famous five with the additions of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

Arsenal v Liverpool ratings

If Roberto Firmino appeared fifth in line for those three berths, his goal hinted at a possible reinvention: like in his previous appearance, against Internazionale a month earlier, he was the scoring substitute.

It was created by Robertson, who became the third player to register 10 Premier League assists this season. All three are in Klopp’s squad. Diogo Jota’s first goal in eight games meant he assumed outright second place in the scoring charts, behind Salah. Sadio Mane is tied for third.

If City’s model is to share the goals and assists around more, Liverpool have an array of extraordinarily potent individuals and a system that enables them to flourish.

They have lost just three of 46 games in all competitions this season and failed to score in just four; statistics suggest they are harder to beat and harder to keep clean sheets against than City.

The way Liverpool have confounded predictions to in effect catch City with their inspired surge has illustrated why Guardiola against Klopp has become the defining managerial rivalry of recent years.

It is shorn of the acrimony of Alex Ferguson’s feud with Arsene Wenger. It was put on hold for a year by Liverpool’s defensive injuries. But if that suggested the men from Anfield were slipping back to the pack, their resurgence shows otherwise.

They have sprinted into contention as the race approaches its final straight.

Brighton v Liverpool ratings

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Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)

Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)

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Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution) 

Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space  

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Nutritional yeast

This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.

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Mina Cup winners

Under 12 – Minerva Academy

Under 14 – Unam Pumas

Under 16 – Fursan Hispania

Under 18 – Madenat

Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing

In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.

While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.

In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all). 

“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”

Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.

"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):

British group

Coldplay

Foals

Bring me the Horizon

D-Block Europe

Bastille

British Female

Mabel

Freya Ridings

FKA Twigs

Charli xcx

Mahalia​

British male

Harry Styles

Lewis Capaldi

Dave

Michael Kiwanuka

Stormzy​

Best new artist

Aitch

Lewis Capaldi

Dave

Mabel

Sam Fender

Best song

Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care

Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up

Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant

Dave - Location

Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove

Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved

Tom Walker - Just You and I

Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger

Stormzy - Vossi Bop

International female

Ariana Grande

Billie Eilish

Camila Cabello

Lana Del Rey

Lizzo

International male

Bruce Springsteen

Burna Boy

Tyler, The Creator

Dermot Kennedy

Post Malone

Best album

Stormzy - Heavy is the Head

Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka

Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent

Dave - Psychodrama

Harry Styles - Fine Line

Rising star

Celeste

Joy Crookes

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Updated: March 18, 2022, 7:23 AM`