Football
ESPN staff 7y

Ryan Giggs: Liverpool now consistent contenders in the Premier League

Ryan Giggs has backed his former rivals at Liverpool to be consistent challengers in the Premier League this year and beyond.

Liverpool, currently level on points with Manchester City and Arsenal atop the table, have won 18 first-division titles but haven't been named champions since 1990, before the Premier League era.

But Giggs, who haunted Liverpool for decades as a Manchester United winger, says that if Liverpool can break through this season, a string of trophies could soon follow.

"Liverpool have put themselves in contention this year," Giggs wrote in The Telegraph.

"At United, I always wondered, because of their history, that when -- or if -- that first Premier League title came along, Liverpool might win a few more on the back of it.

"My view is that it will be more difficult in the present day for one club to dominate as United did in the 1990s and 2000s, but Liverpool would not settle for one Premier League. They would want more."

Liverpool's lack of European football will help them contend this year, said Giggs, adding that Jurgen Klopp as capably replaced Steven Gerrard has Liverpool's talisman, further helping take the pressure off the players.

"Watching Liverpool it is notable that, since Steven Gerrard left, there is no big star in the side," Giggs added.

"Philippe Coutinho is a talent and Jordan Henderson has done well to step into the captaincy. He looks like a good lad and a dedicated professional.

"Gerrard's departure has forced others to fill the gap and sometimes that can be a good thing for a club to move away from a focus on one individual.

"In many respects it was the same at United when Roy Keane left in 2005. For years, he had been like two players for us, and, when he left, others had to step up to fill the void."

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