Liverpool’s defence of the Premier League title they won by a 10-point margin last term has not exactly gone according to plan. Despite splashing the cash in the summer, Arne Slot’s men had lost more league matches by the end of October 2025 than they did in the whole of last season. Okay, they got off to a positive start this time around, winning their opening five EPL games, but many of those were due to very late goals and it was obvious the side was not playing well. Then came six league defeats in seven games, and the title was lost… or was it?
Since the appalling 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest on 22nd November, Slot’s men have actually gone nine games unbeaten in the league. Okay, five of those were draws, and often against teams they’d be expected to beat (Leeds twice, Fulham, and Sunderland). The Reds’ most recent outing, a 4-1 home victory over Barnsley, was their first win of 2024 at the fourth time of asking. They are currently 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, but could Liverpool mount a late charge for the title? It would be a minor miracle, but goldenbetcasino.org believe the gamble could be worth it if the Reds continue to play a stronger game in the second half of the campaign.
Liverpool Often Begin New Calendar Years Brightly
In the 2023/24 campaign, the Reds won eight of their first nine league matches of 2024. The following year, their title-winning season, they won eight of their first 12 in 2025 and drew the other four. So far, Slot’s men have drawn their first three league games of 2026, but they put in a brilliant performance in the latest one, away against Arsenal. And the FA Cup win might give the side just the boost they need as they head back into Premier League action on Saturday at Anfield against Burnley.
The Team Is Finally Beginning to Gel
It’s taken a while after the raft of new signings, but there are signs Slot’s team are starting to work well, at long last. While most teams have been played off the park against Arsenal this season, particularly at the Emirates, Liverpool had the better of the possession with 52.4% of the ball. Okay, they didn’t muster any shots on target, but the game plan was clearly to nullify Arsenal, and they certainly did that as the game ended 0-0.
There was far more fluidity about the side against Barnsley. Okay, the Tykes are a League One side who are not having a great season. But as other Premier League sides found out, lower league opponents can raise their games in the cup, and Liverpool never looked in serious danger of being on the wrong side of a cupset. The Reds created 21 chances with seven shots on target, and enjoyed a whopping 75% of the possession. We get the feeling this might be just the tonic the players need to boost their confidence.
A Rejuvenated Salah Could Be Key… If He Stays
Mohamed Salah has been away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt, where the Liverpool man has scored four goals in five games. If the sharpshooter can return to Anfield with a spring in his step and is willing to patch things up with Arne Slot, there’s every chance Salah could prove to be a crucial part of any late title charge Liverpool might muster.
Of course, based on his comments before leaving for the Cup of Nations, there’s a chance Salah might not return at all, or, if he does, that he’ll be shipping out to another club before the current window closes. If that happens, it might have the knock-on effect of freeing the other goal-getters from Salah’s significant shadow, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world from a Liverpool point of view. But the Reds’ best chance of muscling their way into the title race is if Salah stays, and scores a hatful of goals, like he has in previous seasons.
The Bookies Don’t Predict a Miracle
The bookies don’t always get things right. We have the relatively recent example of 5000/1 shots Leicester City winning the Premier League title in 2015/16 to prove that. As things stand, the bookies have Liverpool as 150/1 outsiders to retain their title this term. Of course, as well as playing out of their skin for the rest of the season, the Reds would also require collapses from Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa. There’s a fair chance at least one of those sides will see a drop-off in form between now and the end of the season, but relying on all three to falter seems like a stretch, to say the least.
Realistically, if Liverpool finish in the top three, it would be a good result, and ending as runners-up would be brilliant. There will, of course, be some Liverpool fans who haven’t given up hope of defending their title, and we applaud their optimism. All things considered, the damage was done for Liverpool back when they lost six out of seven games earlier in the campaign. A title win for Liverpool now would go down in history as one of the greatest ever.