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Liverpool have been in free fall in the Premier League since the calendar ticked over to 2021, dropping from league leaders to eighth, two points behind a Tottenham side with a game in hand and three ahead of an Aston Villa with two games to make up.
Despite an ongoing injury crisis and poor form, though, they remain one of the best teams in England and Europe. Even if they haven’t looked it of late. Even if they look in desperate need of a result to turn things around. Like Wednesday’s Champions League victory over RB Leipzig, perhaps.
“It’s like a positive injection to our morale,” midfielder Thiago told the club’s official website following Wednesday’s 2-0 victory that sees the Reds through to the quarter finals of Europe’s premier cup competition and keeps their dreams of silverware alive.
“I think we deserve to celebrate and to be happy with something, and from now on have this feeling. It’s been a tough period for all of us because in our worst nightmares we didn’t expect that we are now in this position in the Premier League.
“But we are trying to perform as best as we can and try to get better in every training session. I think this performance is a positive thing for all of us. This feeling we have right now, we have to celebrate a little bit with each other and with this feeling prepare and move on.”
Certainly there hasn’t felt like much to celebrate for the Reds of late, and any time they have managed a good result in 2021 is has turned out to be a one off, a false dawn. This time, they’ll try to carry Wednesday’s momentum into a league game against Wolves on Monday.
Win that, and while the table may not look all that much more encouraging it will at least give them another shot of positivity to take into an extended three week break between games before they head into the final phase of the season in England and Europe.