Ex Liverpool coach is helping mastermind unlikely title push and Jürgen Klopp must take note

If Jürgen Klopp had any ambitious pre-season notions about reclaiming Liverpool’s champion status, he would probably have assumed that beating Manchester City would be the key. That could still prove to be the case but with the next cycle of TV rights having just been auctioned off, the Premier League must be delighted with the number of intertwined threads at the top of the table.

The rise of Arsenal as a genuine force produces the kind of drama the powers that be would love to be able to script. It serves up a master-and-apprentice plot line on a silver platter Mikel Arteta against Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, Liverpool and Manchester City have had to work a little harder over the years to manufacture their rivalry, but they offer a compelling story in their own right as they go toe-to-toe once more. Guardiola and Klopp are regarded as two of the generation’s finest coaches, and now have a rich recent history of titanic battles.

Then there’s Aston Villa, the plucky upstart that looks increasingly like it could challenge the big boys. This in itself is pure gold to the Premier League suits, a jackpot akin to Leicester City’s unlikely triumph but if any further intrigue was needed, the Midlands side is also led by Unai Emery, once tossed aside by Arsenal.

Veteran of many bouts with Guardiola in LaLiga, Emery finally claimed his first win over the Manchester City boss recently. Backing that up with a 1-0 win over his old employer too, he oversaw a week that effectively demanded Aston Villa be taken seriously at the business end of the league standings.

The Klopp complex

This is more than just a nice little story to Klopp, who must now take the threat of Aston Villa very seriously. It’s still possible that Emery’s men could drop back into a race for Champions League places, but the same is true of Liverpool whatever happens, the two sides are direct competitors now. With each passing week, the comfortable 3-0 win from earlier in the season looks like a better result. But with Aston Villa having now won a club record 15 home games in a row, Liverpool will need to be at its very best for the reverse fixture the penultimate game of the season. Just how pivotal that match is, only time will tell. But if Klopp is to win, he will need to outwit not only Emery, but also a ghost of Liverpool past.