Liverpool is 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table and, as has long been expected, will soon lift the trophy that its fans most desire. Arne Slot will be the league champion without a doubt.
However, with Manchester City struggling despite an impressive comeback victory over Crystal Palace this weekend, and Arsenal failing to keep pace at the top despite defeating Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter-final first leg a few days ago, accusations of a “weak” league have flowed thick and fast.
They were as unavoidable as they are absurd. Only one team can win the title, and in a tribal world, those who oppose that team — whoever it is — see it as their job to downplay the achievement.
With six games remaining this season, Liverpool currently has more points than Manchester United did when it won the Premier League in 1997. It could still end up with an impressive 94.
And all you have to do is look at some of the lower-level teams in the division to see how good the top flight is currently. It is primarily about money — and there should be a larger discussion about the health of the global game if the 19th-best team in England can buy almost any player it wants from abroad — but that doesn’t make it any less true.
This weekend, Liverpool only narrowly defeated a West Ham team that is one place above the relegation zone. Graham Potter, for example, can choose former Ajax star Mohammed Kudus, who was excellent at Anfield and cost an initial $50 million (£38 million), England international Jarrod Bowen, whom Jurgen Klopp adored, and Brazilian superstar Lucas Paqueta, to name a few.
“I think they are 16 or 17th in the league but I can name you one or two players that could have easily played with us today in terms of quality,” Arne Slot told reporters. “That is what the Premier League is about.”
Slot also stated that he celebrated so much at the final whistle — and made a point of drinking in the atmosphere — because this was one of the few games this season in which Liverpool could be argued to have not deserved to win. It speaks volumes about the quality of those at the bottom that he admitted this after facing the division’s 17th-best team.
Wolves, coached by Vitor Pereira, are above West Ham on goal difference after beating Spurs, and their squad includes Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait Nouri, and Goncalo Guedes. Above them are Tottenham and Manchester United, both having terrible seasons by their standards but ranking so low due to the quality above.
Aston Villa, a team that could have advanced further in Europe if it had not drawn PSG, is seventh. Brighton, one of the most astute players in the transfer market, is ninth. Crystal Palace, which signed Oliver Glasner last year and has spent around $105 million (£80 million) on new players, is 12th.
The argument that this is a poor league simply does not hold up. Liverpool is winning easily, in part because it has been the most consistent team, and in part because it got ahead early and has been able to maintain its lead. Arsenal had a legitimate shot at winning the Champions League, but it was overshadowed by Liverpool.
While it is true that a busy summer awaits at Anfield, with many players potentially leaving, Slot will be a deserving Premier League winner with the Reds. He hasn’t done it because it’s been easy, but rather because he has the best team in the league, and anyone — except Southampton — can beat anyone.
