As the dust settles on the most recent Premier League season, the focus quickly shifts to the next one, and with Liverpool finally getting their hands on the coveted trophy, their success would not have gone down well with their perennial rivals.
That’s because as Liverpool clinched English league championship number 19, Manchester United would have looked on with a considerable amount of jealousy, and although the Old Trafford outfit still rule the overall roost, their wait to make it 21 titles of their own has gone on for far too long.
Not since 2013 and the parting gift from Sir Alex Ferguson have the Red Devils climbed the top step of the Premier League’s podium and with seven barren years now behind them, they certainly won’t want to see that run extended to eight come May 2021.
Here’s a brilliant Sir Alex Ferguson half-time team talk… pic.twitter.com/1vRrIIiNcF
— 90s Football (@90sfootball) August 18, 2020
However, for Manchester United to return to the promised land is somewhat easier said than done and although manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has undertaken some impressive work at Old Trafford, his group of starlings are still very much a work in progress.
Not to mention, if the Red Devils are to knock Liverpool off their perch, it is going to need either a herculean effort from the Manchester outfit or for Jurgen Klopp’s men to finally display some form of regression after two spectacular seasons of on-field performances.
A brace of years that have seen both the Champions League and Premier League captured and although it is difficult to land either prize, it is even harder to defend them and this is something that both manager and players will already be aware of.
With the Anfield cabal of talents being dumped out by Atletico Madrid, any hopes of defending European football’s richest prize went up in smoke almost six months ago and although that blow was softened by domestic dominance, the challenge now is to continue their brilliance back home.
When it comes to how the bookmakers see things playing out, Liverpool and Manchester United will be fighting to win the title next season and although both will be confident of doing so, that confidence is not necessarily shared elsewhere.
Because a common enemy is currently priced as the favourite to win the 2020/21 edition of the Premier League and with Manchester City looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign, they will look to be part of any title winning conversation.
A conversation that sees Pep Guardiola’s men as the current 5/6 favourites, with defending champions Liverpool at the slightly longer 7/4 and Manchester United much further back at the rather lengthy by comparison 9/1.
Looking at the current market, United do seem at least another 12 months away from mounting their first genuine championship challenge in years and with that mind, a repeat of the 2019 title tussle looks to be instore.
A season in which no quarter was asked or given, as Manchester City seemed to have the answer for every question that Liverpool posed and with the Reds missing out by just a point, the Etihad outfit clinched their sixth English league championship.
As always with City, there is a sense that unfinished business continually needs to be carried out and that comes in the form of finally conquering Europe – a feat that they once again failed to achieve after losing to Lyon in this year’s Champions League Quarterfinal.
Which begs the question as to how many eggs Pep Guardiola puts into his continental basket next season and if they do go for another all-out attack on the Champions League, whether City can achieve success on multiple fronts.
Pep Guardiola after he spends Man City’s entire transfer budget on Lionel Messi but still loses in the Champions League quarter-final pic.twitter.com/S8wWABhS1B
— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) August 26, 2020
If Europe does become the overriding focus once again, City may well end up being somewhat mispriced in terms of the early outright market and perhaps Liverpool’s current odds offer much more in the way of overall value.
Especially as this is a club that seems to have the concept of winning now flowing through its veins and with such a cleverly crafted squad at the disposal of Jurgen Klopp, he knows that evolution rather than revolution will be required this summer.
Should solid business be carried out and a couple of key additions added to their ranks, there is no reason as to why Liverpool cannot continue their rich vein of recent form and eventually make it league championship number 20 at the end of the season.
