While the calendar has barely turned to the month of November, some people are claiming the Premier League title race is already over. Both Jose Mourinho and Roy Keane said as much in the Sky Sports studio on Sunday, believing that the nine point gap between Liverpool and Manchester City was too much to overcome.
Jurgen Klopp's side lost only one league game last season, while they have dropped only two points in the current campaign. Considering this, nine points certainly seems like a lot.
That being said, there is still 25 games to go. It also notable that one group who think the race is very much still on is Liverpool fans. While they have often been mocked by rival supporters for premature celebrations in the past, there are no such noises emanating from Anfield.
That is certainly the view of Peter Crouch. The former England striker was on Match of the Day 2 last night when he revealed that not a single Liverpool fan he knew believed the title race was already over:
Is it Liverpool's title to lose?#MOTD2 #LFC pic.twitter.com/DJ35bX3iry
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) November 10, 2019
I got loads of texts from family and friends at the final whistle on Sunday, saying they are absolutely buzzing and that it is a massive, massive win.
But, when it comes to the title, all the Liverpool fans I know are trying to keep a lid on their feelings as best they can.
I totally understand why. I was up at Anfield for the game near the end of the 2013-14 season when they beat Manchester City 3-2, meaning the title was in their hands with four games to go.
The place was buzzing, and everywhere you went in the city it was the same - absolutely electric, with people telling you they were going to win the league.
Then came Steven Gerrard's slip against Chelsea in their next home game, and they ended up throwing it away. A lot of people were burned by that and that has left them thinking 'we are not going to make that same mistake again'.
That is still true now, even after beating City. I know loads of Liverpool fans and they are all saying the same thing to me - 'it's not over'. None of them are talking about winning the league yet; they are saying there is a long way to go.
Liverpool have a dense fixture list on the horizon in the next few weeks, something that isn't helped by their participation in the Club World Cup in Qatar. That could certainly have an effect on their form, especially in a squad possibly lacks a little bit of depth.
While they have experienced collapses in the past, this team does feel different under Jurgen Klopp. Their Champions League win last season got them over the trophy hump, with any mental block that may have been present presumably gone.
While their fans will brush it off, Peter Crouch finds it difficult to see how they will lose it from here.
From the outside looking in, I have to say I cannot see Liverpool losing the three or four games between now and the end of the season that it would probably take for them to be overhauled by City or anyone else.
"So you have to say that they are huge, huge favourites now.
"No-one inside Anfield will have been saying that at the final whistle on Sunday, but Liverpool are the best team in the league and I think they proved that against City.
