And the slogan goes ‘you’ll never walk alone’ boldly engraved on the Bill Shankly gate into the well………, I won’t want to say iconic now so I can say historic because it’s got history, talking of the historic stadium of Liverpool FC, Anfield. ‘You’ll never walk alone’ is enshrined in the blood of true and devoted Liverpool fans and it’s got a song which the fans sing before Liverpool takes to the field. Liverpool is by some extent the most successful football team in England. The 70s and 80s period saw Liverpool as one of the most dominant teams in Europe, taking the European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) 4 times and it’s 5th in 2005 as well as 11 league titles during that period. 5 champion’s league titles make Liverpool the highest holder of any team in the British Isle. Liverpool is also a huge success in England because it has 18 league titles to its name. It held that record until Manchester United broke it by winning a record 19th title in 2011 and a further 20th in 2013. It was even at the face of Liverpool that United equaled the tally in 2009 when Liverpool finished 2nd, four points behind United but had a better goal difference and did a double win over United in the league.  Liverpool last won its 18th league title in 1990 during which Manchester United had only 7 league titles to their name. The era under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson ensured Liverpool’s league dominance came to a halt while Manchester United took 13 league titles between 1993 and 2013. It can be considered a shame that Liverpool hasn’t had a league title for 23 years and you might ask when is the League especially the new format premier league which began in 1993 going to come back to Anfield? Well you be the Judge of that. The only way to say the league is coming back to Anfield is by looking at each season and it’s not news that Liverpool’s last few seasons in the league have been dismal. Not making it to Europe last season, a four year absence from the champions league and cross town rivals Everton finishing above them in the league.

            So how has Liverpool done so far this season? Let’s now have a look. Firstly Liverpool is not in Europe this season so they are focusing barely on the league and domestic competitions. Well Liverpool started the season without talisman Luis Suarez who continued a 10 match ban for biting Branislav Ivanovic last season. Liverpool kicked off the season well. Taking 3 1-0 victories including against Manchester United. Then a draw against Brendan Rogers former team Swansea City followed. The next fixture against Southampton would be their 1st loss of the season and it was at Anfield. People may have started deducing that Liverpool will have another bad season and without Suarez back more trouble was coming. But let’s not forget that in Suarez’s absence, Daniel Sturridge was delivering the goals. Liverpool fans must have been eager for Suarez to return to action and it did eventually come in the Capital One Cup tie against Manchester United. He could not muster a win for Liverpool as they lost 1-0 at Old Trafford. Liverpool was now out of a domestic cup and won’t play in the FA Cup until January. So it’s the league all to play for now. Suarez made his league comeback against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and it was a grand return. A brace by Suarez and a 3rd by Sturridge made sure Liverpool took a 3-1 win. How everyone was happy to see Suarez back. The disappointment of the loss to Southampton had been put behind as Liverpool secured 2 further wins and a draw against Newcastle United. Liverpool had been in the top 2 all this time and it was time to face table toppers Arsenal. All didn’t go well and the Suarez-Sturridge combo couldn’t do anything as Liverpool fell 2-0. Liverpool fans didn’t need to worry about that loss because more positive results were coming aided by that man Suarez. A victory against Fulham followed and a goal-fest 3-3 draw against cross town rivals Everton followed and another bad day in the office made Liverpool take a 3-1 loss to league returnees Hull City. The next fixtures saw Liverpool burst the goals out and with no loss this time. Wins against Norwich, West ham, just last week Tottenham and today Cardiff City  have seen Liverpool scored 17 goals in the 4 fixtures and  who’d be the architect of it all if not Suarez. His return has seen him net 19 league goals in just 12 matches. The highlight been the match against Norwich where he bagged 4 goals and in the process became the 1st EPL player to score 3 hat tricks against the same team.

            The efforts of Suarez have seen Liverpool score 41 goals in the league, 28 of those coming from both Suarez and Sturridge. The 19 goals scored by Suarez is more than 10 premier league teams have managed to score so far this season. Liverpool is now top of the table with 35 points at least till Monday when Arsenal takes on Chelsea. Liverpool haven’t scored this many league goals at this point since 1988 in which they were league champions. Liverpool also seems to have gelled with the passing philosophy of Rogers. The hot form of Suarez has seen him outpace Real Madrid’s goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Costa of Atletico Madrid to be Europe’s current top goal scorer. Suarez’s current form suggests that if he stays fit and out of trouble this season , he could score over 40 EPL goals which will be a record and contention for the European Golden Boot. Liverpool not playing in Europe this season gives the team concentration on the league. With the other teams in European commitments, Liverpool will stay fresh each week. This means Liverpool have the biggest chance to win the league after a 23 year drought. If the team stays fit and Suarez at his best, it should be a case of glory coming back to Anfield and the ‘You’ll never walk alone’ slogan adorned on the Bill Shankly Gate will come to life again.

Please note that all stats and figures in this post are correct as at the end of the Liverpool vs. Cardiff City EPL match on 21st december, 2013.