Enrique on why Liverpool haven’t had the edge on Manchester City this year

Liverpool would have ‘probably’ won the Premier League had it not been for injuries this season, according to Jose Enrique.

The Premier league champions have been unlucky with injuries. Several key Liverpool players have been injured for significant stretches, particularly in defence where Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip are all likely to miss the rest of the season.

The red won their first Premier League title last season but currently find themselves in eigth place, 22 points back of Pep Guardiola’s side.

And Enrique feels that such a barren spell of injury setbacks have been the definitive reason why Liverpool’s Premier League title defence is all-but over.

“Liverpool’s players have missed a cumulative total of 178 PL games between them, compared to other leading teams such as Leicester (121), Manchester United (109), Manchester City (93), Tottenham (68) West Ham (63) and Chelsea (50),” he wrote, per Instagram.

“That’s why we are where we are because I really believe if we have the full squad available we will be fighting for the premier title and probably win it.”

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Thoughts

Is it enough simply to say that, given the way they play?

Liverpool have been unlucky with injuries but that misfortune has highlighted underlying issues with a squad that has probably just passed its peak.

The Red’s sixth consecutive home league defeat is just because Jurgen Klopp has stuck too stubbornly to his preferred system at a time of crisis.