The faceless egg on Twitter might be quick to blame it all on Klopp, yet we know that Daniel Sturridge is prone to one of these mystery injuries every now and then. We also know that the German isn\u2019t responsible for Coutinho getting his foot kicked in a tackle by a Sunderland player. Nor is the manager to blame for whatever weird ankle issue it is that Joel Matip is struggling to shake off at the moment.<\/p>\n
Klopp<\/p><\/div>\n
Give me a fully fit Liverpool squad for the rest of the season and I think it will take a very good team indeed to stop us from winning the title. That\u2019s how important our players are. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019ve been impressed with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn when they\u2019ve had to come into the side. I\u2019d just far rather see Daniel Sturridge and Nathaniel Clyne if I was given the option.<\/p>\n
The Rub Of The Green<\/h2>\n
Suggesting that football results are entirely down to luck is, frankly, wrong. There are, as I\u2019ve already said, a number of things that go into deciding whether or not a team is good enough to win the league. Yet we also can\u2019t pretend that luck makes no difference whatsoever.<\/p>\n
In 2013-2014 Raheem Sterling was flagged offside when he was racing through on Manchester City\u2019s goal. The naked eye suggested the assistant referee had made a mistake and replays confirmed as much, with the the England winger appearing to be about five yards onside. We went on to lose that game 2-1 and we lost the league by two points.<\/p>\n
By Biser Todorov (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>Has Sterling been correctly ruled to be onside he would more likely than not have scored past Joe Hart and we would probably have drawn that game at the very least. If we didn\u2019t need to rack up a ridiculous scoreline against Crystal Palace then I don\u2019t believe for one second that we draw that match at Selhurst Park at the end of the season. We lost the title when Chelsea beat us at home.<\/p>\n
Of course there are a lot of ifs and buts in there, yet I\u2019m convinced that if we had a bit more luck in different situations – Steven Gerrard\u2019s slip being a prime example – then we aren\u2019t still waiting for our first Premier League title.<\/p>\n
So yes, I would like us to get the rub of the green a few times this season. There\u2019s nothing wrong with saying that luck is an element in winning things. You have to make your own luck, of course, yet you also need a little bit of help sometimes. Refereeing decisions going our way; balls bouncing to our players instead of the opposition\u2019s; deflections sending the ball into the other team\u2019s net rather than just wide of the post; these are the things we need to happen if Jordan Henderson is going to get to lift up the trophy in May.<\/p>\n
Merry Christmas<\/h2>\n
The next blog post I write will be my match review in the wake of the match against Stoke City. I\u2019d like to take this opportunity, therefore, to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I hope you get everything that you\u2019ve asked for and you have a brilliant day with your loved ones.<\/p>\n
Christmas isn\u2019t easy for everyone, though, so I\u2019d also like to point you in the direction of The Samaritans who are there to help anyone that needs it. They\u2019re available on 116 123, which is a freephone number.<\/p>\n