One of Liverpool’s rivals in the race for a top-four finish has jokingly pleaded for the Reds to ‘relax’ as the hunt for Champions League football intensifies.
A run of six successive victories has catapulted Jurgen Klopp’s team back into contention for a place in Europe’s premier club competition, something which seemed unthinkable when they were 12 points off fourth place just a month ago after drawing against Arsenal.
The Merseysiders still need to dislodge one of Newcastle or Manchester United to get back into the tournament for next season, although their resurgence has seemingly left a Magpies player rather worried.
Speaking on the BBC’s Footballer’s Football Podcast, Callum Wilson quipped: “Liverpool need to relax! I said I could smell [a top-four finish] a couple of weeks ago. Now that scent is gone. I don’t know where it’s gone. I can’t find it!”
The 30-year-old added that his team’s defeat to Arsenal last weekend ‘reiterates we’ve still got a bit of a way to go’ and insists that the Tynesiders ‘need three wins out of four’ to secure Champions League football for 2023/24.
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As impressive as the Reds’ resurgence has been, we could still win our final three games and come up short in the hunt for top four.
Not only do we trail Newcastle and Man United by three and one points respectively, both also have a game in hand, so Liverpool need favours from elsewhere in addition to taking care of their own business.
Unhelpfully, those two play before Klopp’s team this coming weekend, so the two Uniteds could land a big psychological blow if they win their games ahead of the Merseysiders’ visit to Leicester on Monday night.
However, Wilson’s comments hint that the Magpies may be getting a little concerned over the Reds’ winning streak, which mirrored the strong run-in to two seasons ago when a late surge secured a Champions League place which had seemed most unlikely at one stage.
A top-four berth is still in the hands of our two main rivals, but it’s a testament to Liverpool’s imperious form that the hunted are visibly nervous over being usurped in the final sprint to the finish line.