OPINION
Liverpool fans will be thrilled to see that John Barnes has predicted them to beat Manchester City in the race to win the Premier League title this season.
Jurgen Klopp came agonisingly close to guiding the Reds to their first league title since 1990 last season when they finished with 97 points, one point behind Pep Guardiola’s Man City.
However in the latter stages of the campaign, Liverpool were pushing hard in Europe and eventually won the Champions League title for the sixth time in their history.
Barnes believes that Liverpool competing on multiple fronts last season was what led to them falling short in the Premier League.
However the ex-Anfield star has now back his former club to win the league title after they experienced what it was like to win a trophy under Klopp last term.
“Last season, as well as Liverpool were playing right to the end, I felt that Manchester City would win the league,” Barnes told Sky Sports.
“This year I think Liverpool will win the league. They have this determination, this drive, this confidence now that they’ve won a trophy with Jurgen Klopp.
“What Klopp has instilled into this team is no excuses. So when teams then give themselves excuses – because players are injured or they’ve just come back late – they will drop points because they can drop points.
“Klopp won’t and he’s instilled that into the team and the fans. The players know, regardless of whether they’re playing, there are no excuses not to perform. That is Liverpool’s strength.”
What Barnes is saying about Klopp is bang on.
Liverpool’s German manager has been the key behind all of this success.
If you were to give any other manager, with the exception of maybe a handful worldwide, then there is no way that this Liverpool team will be performing as well now as it has done.
When you look at the Reds’ midfield, on paper, it does not look that exciting but Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnalum and Fabinho are three players who typify what Klopp is about and what Barnes is claiming about the ex-Borussia Dortmund manger.
There are no half-measures in this team, there are no days when a player strolls around looking as though he cannot be bothered.
They must be three of the fittest central midfielders in world football and that is all down to Klopp’s tactics, coaching methods and impeccable man-management.
Liverpool can win the Premier League title this season.
They are the only team to win four out of four games in the opening weeks of the new campaign and as long as the Merseyside giants can avoid suffering defeats at the hands of Man City, Barnes’ prediction might come true.
