Gary Neville's past comments have been made to look foolish by Liverpool
Gary Neville’s past comment that Liverpool "aren’t title winners" continues to age badly as Arne Slot's side sit comfortably at the Premier League’s summit.
While many expected that, in the wake of Jurgen Klopp’s shock departure and Slot’s immediate hiring, teething problems would arise at Anfield, quite the contrary has occurred. The Reds have lost just one league game this term.
They sit on 34 points from 13 games - nine ahead of closest rivals Chelsea and Arsenal - and maintain a perfect Champions League record. Such figures have not been achieved by luck either.
Slot’s men look impervious in defence, organised, and lead a clinical forward line - demonstrated in their 2-0 demolition of struggling Manchester City. However, the Merseyside outfit were not always bonafide contenders, especially in the eyes of Neville.
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He admitted in October that "not many" saw Liverpool as a side who could challenge for the top-flight crown. Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea travelled to Anfield on October 20, with the home side sitting top of the table, holding a record only stained by an erroneous 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
Yet, despite their impeccable standing and the fine way in which they had began this Premier League campaign, Neville believed that Slot’s side were not contenders. “I don’t think any of us see Chelsea as title winners, or even Liverpool for that matter,” Neville told Sky Sports pre-match.
“But, what you have got this moment in time is a very intriguing game. I think Liverpool are ahead of Chelsea. We all know that, but we want to know the distance they are ahead of them. Liverpool’s midfield is a good midfield, and they're willing defenders, but are they great defenders?”
Slot's side are firing on all cylinders ( Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Fast-forward two months, and the Reds are perhaps now favourites for the title, with City in disarray, and a nine-point gap being opened up out in front. Neville has, however, not stuck by this poorly-aged statement.
He has since put aside any distaste he may have for Liverpool – being a long-time patron of rivals Manchester United – and admitted that the "incredible" Reds now have title expectations on their shoulders. “The people who have appointed [Slot], the people who've created the stability, the players, most of all, in the sense of getting behind him - it's really incredible what we're watching,” Neville stated on his Gary Neville podcast.
“None of us expected it. I think Liverpool fans expected it. They may have expected them to finish in the top four but it's absolutely brilliant what Arne Slot's done, and it gets really serious. It's gone from being a honeymoon period, a great start, to hang on a minute.
Neville has since changed his tune (
Image:
SkySportsPremierLeague/Youtube)
“There's a real expectation. They'll be very, very strong favourites. Nine points clear of Arsenal, 11 points clear of Manchester City, and there's still four or five months to go. The title race doesn't start until April.
"We're just in early December. I'm not saying Liverpool are going to win the league. I still think there's a long way to go. But there is no doubt that now there'll be an expectation.”
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