Liverpool NEED to keep their two-point cushion over Man City by the time they play them in March if they want to win the Premier League, argues Ian Ladyman on It’s All Kicking Off

Liverpool must cling on to their two-point lead by the time they play Manchester City, Ian Ladyman has argued – or risk being crestfallen once again come the season’s close. 

Jurgen Klopp‘s men face Brentford, Luton, and Nottingham Forest in their league before their Anfield assignment against City on March 10. 

They hold a slender two-point advantage over City and Arsenal but Pep Guardiola‘s side are the ones everybody fears.

The Treble-winners have hit their mid-season stride again, winning 11 games on the bounce dating back to the Club World Cup. The last time they lost a game was December 6, a 1-0 loss at Aston Villa. 

‘Liverpool have got the next three games in the league are Brentford, Luton, Forest and that to me feels like they’re going to have to win those three simply because after that little run comes their crunch game with Man City at Anfield and then the Merseyside Derby away at Goodison Park,’ Ladyman told Mail Sport’s football podcast It’s All Kicking Off. 

Ian Ladyman believes Liverpool must preserve their two-point gap over a thunderous Manchester City side 

He thinks City’s blistering form – now 11 wins in 11 games – will put them in pole position for the title unless Liverpool have a gap over them 

‘They can’t afford any separation between themselves and City in the next month, that’s what I’m getting at.’

Chris Sutton agreed, adding that Liverpool have got to be clinical to stay in front of a relentless City, who have won the last three Premier League titles. 

He said: ‘Look, we all know, right, that Liverpool have to be ruthless. That goes without saying. Nobody I’ve met in the last week or two has changed their mind about Manchester City, because you just feel it and you look at their bench every week and the ability to change things.

‘We shouldn’t be judging Liverpool just based on that one Arsenal game. They actually recovered okay against Burnley, saw the pictures of Mo Salah back in full training. I mean, that’s absolutely enormous. 

‘So they’ve got a lot to look forward to. The teams they’ve got coming up, you mentioned Brentford, who they’ve conceded a few goals against in recent times, but Jurgen Klopp knows they have to be absolutely ruthless, but I wouldn’t be ruling Liverpool out because of their firepower.’

Ladyman believes Liverpool could face a situation where they reach the end of the season and finish second even if they only lose a handful of games, such are the tight margins at the top of the Premier League. 

Liverpool have twice finished just a point behind City, scoring 97 points in 2018-19 and 92 points in 2021-22.  

Ladyman added: ‘I just think that we’re in this typical Man City cycle again. In my opinion, City are the best team, right? But that doesn’t mean they win the league, because good teams can have bad runs. But I see them, they’re 11 unbeaten now, 11 wins on the spin, if you go all the way back to the start of the club World Cup, and this is what they do. 

Jurgen Klopp’s men are two points ahead of City and Arsenal and have three league games before facing Pep Guardiola’s side 

Chris Sutton claimed we shouldn’t judge Liverpool on the 3-1 defeat by Arsenal and thinks they have a ‘a lot to look forward to’ 

Mo Salah’s return to first-team action wil be a huge boost for Liverpool when it happens 

‘And I can just imagine if Liverpool aren’t careful they’re going to get to the end of May when the season ends and they’re going to look back and they’ll have lost like three games all season, but somehow haven’t won the league because it’s happened to them before. 

‘And they are in this dreadfully difficult position of knowing that they’ve pretty much got to win everything and they’ve certainly got to win that game against Manchester City at Anfield next month. And it would be ideal for them to get there still with this two-point cushion. That’s what I’m trying to get at, I think. And they’ve got three games. 

‘Well, that’s how I started: Brentford, Luton, Forest. They’ve got to win those three games.’