Title bid on?

In my heart I desperately want Liverpool to win the League this season but in my head I conceded the title immediately after the transfer window closed.

After ending last season with the feeling that the end to the long wait was right around the corner, my preseason optimism was punctured first by our transfer activity which did nothing to address the existing shortfalls in last season’s squad. The defeat at Tottenham, though expected, was a further knock but the home defeat to Aston Villa turned a puncture into a gaping hole. It wasn’t just that we lost two of our first three League games and did so to teams we should not expect to lose to but it was the nature of the defeats that led to serious re-examination of our title credentials. Our woeful defending of set-pieces in those games which was in further evidence in subsequent games against Bolton, Debrecen and West Ham was one major concern. The lack of creativity and overall weakness of the midfield post-Alonso was another. The lack of strength in depth with bloody Voronin and the hapless Ryan Babel rolling off the bench was a third. Finally the lack of form and obvious frustration shown by Torres and Gerrard suggested Anfield was not a happy camp. The sum total of all these elements did not add up to a title-winning formula. Meanwhile, Chelsea and Man Ure were being handed points just for turning up.

Suddenly, we find ourselves very much in the mix and there are plenty of reasons to argue we could still at least emulate last season by competing for the title. Suddenly we find ourselves just three points behind the Scum and Chelsea; Torres is back to his best, and we’re the top scorers in the League. Those doubts about our credentials remain but thankfully the other challengers have revealed flaws of their own. While we shouldn’t be losing to Aston Villa, neither should Man Ure be losing to Burnley or Chelsea be losing to Wigan. As bad as our defence was at Bolton and West Ham, how bad was Man Ure’s defending at home to City or Chelsea’s at Wigan?

Suddenly next weekend’s match at Stamford Bridge has grown in significance. If we go down 3-0 having lost the midfield battle and conceded through weak defending of set-pieces plus the usual Frank Lampard penalty, it will confirm that we are competing for third place at best. However, if we come through the 90 minutes at Stamford Bridge unscathed emerging with a point or even three, we will undoubtedly find ourselves in the title race.

My head still says we can’t win the title this season but if we can get a good result against Chelsea, my heart will be making my head eat humble pie – and it will rarely taste sweeter.