Is Harvey Elliott pushing for a starting role in the Liverpool team?
Harvery Elliott has impressed off the bench for Liverpool at times this season including in their win at Crystal Palace where he scored the winning the goal and made a huge difference on the pitch. Is he pushing for a potential starting role in the team?
Liverpool were not at their best against Palace on Saturday as they struggled to get in behind Palace's rigid defence. That all changed when Elliott came on as he brought some much needed energy to the midfield and he always wanted to get on the ball and make things happen. He helped out the attacking players when the reds went forward and he made sure that the reds moved the ball a lot quicker than they did in the first half.
He's impressed off the bench in a number of games this season by making the sort of impact he made against Palace on Saturday. He's also impressed as a starter in Europa League games which will further strengthen his case to start more games.
If he carries on impressing when given the chance to do so, he could earn himself a starting role in the team. Especially with Alexis Mac Allister set for a spell on the sidelines.
Could we have a four team title race?
It's looking very tigh at the top of the Premier League with the top four being separated by just four points. Liverpool lead the way with 37, Arsenal are 2nd with 36, Aston Villa are 3rd with 35 whilst champons Man City are 4th with 33. So could we have a potential four team title race?
The only team I can see dropping out of the race is probably Aston Villa as they've never been in this situation before plus I can also see a lack of squad depth catch up with them later in the season. Their recent wins over Man City and Arsenal will definitely give them a lot of belief that they could challenge alongside the recent form they've been in. But with the pressure likely to get to them later in the season, they could be the team that drops out early.
Man City have dropped off recently but we should never write them off as they're capable of going on an incredible run towards the latter end of the season. They will have a lot of catching up to do because of them being at the Club World Cup later in the month which will give the others the chance to build some distance between themselves and City. But City will eventually catch up to them because of the experience they have of being in a title race.
Arsenal and Liverpool have both shown signs that they're capable of challenging by grinding wins out in games where they haven't been at their best. Arsenal are winning games they probably wouldn't have won last season which is a sign of improvement for them whilst Liverpool have won a lot of points from losing positions.
A lot can obviously change between now and the end of the season but if all four can stay within touching distance of each other for the next few months, a four wat title race could happen.
Is Raul Jimenez back to his best?
Raul Jimenez hasn't been the same player since that horrific head injury he suffered back in 2020 as his goal returns have dropped off massively. He's netted 13 times in all competitions since he returned from that horrific injury whereas before he netted 48 times.
He's finally began to find some form recently after netting 4 times in his last 5 games with his latest coming in Fulham's 5-0 win over West Ham on Sunday. So is he back to his best?
It always takes time for a player to rediscover their best form after suffering such a horrific injury and it's definitely been the case wth Jimenez. Any long term injury can have an impact on a player's performance and form as they might be worried about picking up the same injury again. This may have been the case with Jimenez as his injury was very severe and possibly could've ended his career.
His recent return to form will definitely give him a lot of confidence but for him to be properly back to his best, he needs to keep up the form he's in. His recent form will give him the belief that he can.
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