4 Reasons why Liverpool could win the Premier League this season

After a convincing 4-1 victory over Cardiff at Anfield in the Premier League, Liverpool find themselves at the top of the Premier League with 26 points from 10 matches, marking their joint-best start to a Premier League season (along with the 2008-2009 season).

The Reds are unbeaten across this campaign and have a three-point advantage on Manchester City who don't play until Monday when they travel to Wembley to face fifth-paced Tottenham.

Liverpool were once the most dominant club in England, but have fallen from their previous highs, and are currently on a barren run of 28 years without a league title, with their last triumph in England's top club division coming way back in 1990.

There have been near misses in the intervening timeframe, and having lost belief in the direction the club was taking, the arrival of Jurgen Klopp at Anfield has restored the confidence of the fans and got The Kop believing once more.

Steady progress has been made over the last couple of seasons, and there are genuine reasons to believe this is the season where Liverpool could finally end their long wait for Premier League glory. Here are four reasons why Liverpool could triumph in the Premier League this season.

#4 Mo Salah seems to be getting back into form

Mo Salah was the architect of Cardiff's destruction

Everybody is by now familiar with Mo Salah's exploits for Liverpool last season, scoring 44 goals in all competitions and breaking a plethora of records, and was deservedly named PFA, PWA, BBC and CAF Player of the Year, as well as winning the EPL Golden Boot and making a podium finish in the UEFA and FIFA Best awards.

The Egyptian's meteoric rise from ordinary to spectacular meant that skepticism was always expressed over him, and many believed he would fail to replicate last season's exceptional form.

True to many expectations, he struggled at the start of the season, and naysayers were quick to label him a one season wonder. His coach's belief in him never wavered though, and when Salah spearheaded Egypt's 4-1 trouncing of Eswatini in an African Cup of Nations qualifier where the 25-year-old scored directly from a corner, Klopp was quick to state that he was certain Salah would come back a renewed player.

The German tactician's words proved to be prophetic, as Salah has indeed returned rejuvenated. He has scored in all three of his fixtures since the international break, getting the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield, before getting a brace in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Crvena Zvezda which made him the fastest player in Liverpool's illustrious history to score 50 goals.

Against Cardiff, Salah was at his unplayable best, opening the scoring with barely ten minutes gone, and laying on a pair of assists for Mane and Shaqiri.

If Liverpool are to achieve anything worthwhile this season, then Salah would be central to their plans, and having started the season poorly, the Egyptian record goalscorer seems to be getting back into the form which saw him terrorize opposition defenses last season, and this could be a defining factor which would see The Reds lift the EPL title come May next year.

#3 There has been marked defensive improvements

Liverpool have been very solid at the back since Van Dijk's arrival

Jurgen Klopp's gengenpressing style of play means that his team's attack is always quick on the counter, and potent in front of goal, and while this made for plenty of excitement and thrill, Liverpool's frailty at the back meant that despite the abundance of goals scored by the club, they always kept dropping points due to silly defensive errors.

Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip, Alberto Moreno, Ragnar Klavan, these were all culprits of defensive shenanigans, as despite Klopp's best efforts at chopping and changing, the issues still remained.

He sought to address this with the signing of Virgil Van Dijk from Southampton, and having endured a frustratingly protracted transfer last summer, he finally got his man in January with the 27-year-old arriving for a world record fee for a defender in a blockbuster £75m move.

The deal was scoffed at by many, as it was believed that the Dutch international could not solve the defensive issues on his own, but marked improvements have been noticed, and even the most cynic Liverpool supporters cannot help but notice the more stable organization in the defense since Van Dijk's arrival.

The goal conceded on Saturday against Cardiff was the first scored by an opposition team at Anfield in the league since February when Mikhael Antonio scored for West Ham, a stunning run lasting 918 minutes (over eight hours) and eight months of football.

The goalkeeping department was also one which caused much concern for Klopp, as neither Karius nor Mignolet showed enough consistency to hold down a first team spot, making a series of gaffes which cost the club points and titles, with the most infamous being Karius' performance in the last Champions League final against Real Madrid in Kyiv.

Hence it came as no surprise when the club sanctioned the purchase of Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson for a then world record fee from AS Roma.

This season, the club has conceded just four goals in ten matches, while keeping six clean sheets in the Premier League, figures which would have been unbelievable just ten months ago.

It is no secret that titles are mostly won on the back of great defenses, and with Liverpool's attack being so dangerous, it would be their defense which has been their bane for so many years which could prove to be the difference in their march for League glory.

#2 Anfield has become a fortress

Liverpool went the entire campaign undefeated in the league at home last season, and were the only club to achieve this impressive feat.

They are currently on a splendid run of 26 games without defeat at Anfield, with their last loss at home in the Premier League coming way back in April 2017.

As stated earlier, the club had kept nine consecutive clean sheets at home in the EPL before being breached by Callum Peterson of Cardiff City.

Liverpool has conceded just one goal at home in the Premier League this season, and that is by far the best defensive record of any of the 20 EPL teams, as Van Dijk has helped marshall the Reds into a commanding outfit at the back, while Salah and co marshall the attack upfront.

Homeform can never be counted out or underrated when it comes to league campaigns, as most times it turns out to be the difference between ending the season as champions and failing to achieve the season's objectives, and in this regard, Liverpool are very much on track.

#1 The players have fully absorbed Klopp's methods

Jurgen Klopp has bonded with his players

Jurgen Klopp made his name as an astute tactician in the Bundesliga with his work at Mainz and in particular Borrussia Dortmund.

He arrived at Anfield to meet a Liverpool team in crises, reeling from the after-effects of the sale of Luis Suarez, and generally suffering from a blow to their confidence.

The 51-year-old set to work in implementing his ideas into the squad, and after initial periods of adapting, the whole squad has taken to his pattern like fish to water.

Gengenpressing is a complex pattern of playing which requires high intense pressing, attempting to win the ball back immediately it is lost, with the attack acting as the first line of defense.

Salah, Mane and Firmino are the perfect attackers to play this pattern, blending in with the system as though they've been working on it all their life, while even immobile midfielders such as Henderson have blended into their role perfectly.

Jurgen Klopp has been more than a coach to his players at Liverpool, serving both as a father and a friend, and this is evident in the way the players celebrate with him.

This close bond between players and coach has undoubtedly helped the players settle in with Klopp, and this is a factor which could see them end up as Premier League champions come May next year.

Edited by Abhinav Munshi