Here is a question I did not think I would be asking at any stage this season: will Liverpool win the Premier League?

It would be premature to describe this Sunday’s Anfield fixture as a title duel. Arsenal are better equipped to defend their crown, while Liverpool are a work in progress.

Whatever the outcome this weekend, Arsenal will leave Merseyside as the overwhelming favourites to claim back-to-back titles. They have a six-point lead over Liverpool. Should that extend to nine, Andoni Iraola’s primary objective coming into this season will remain unchanged; qualifying for the Champions League will represent a promising start to his reign.

What makes this weekend more significant is the champions will find a different Anfield to that which ended last season in such a downbeat mood, and came into this one uncertain of what was in store.

The discussion about what is achievable for Liverpool in the coming months is evolving by the week, the team bubbling along slightly under the radar.

There are several reasons why there are those who believe Iraola’s side might push Arsenal closer than anticipated.

First and foremost, the guilty verdict in the Manchester City case has altered the complexion of the season, and emboldened those who want to seize the initiative.

When Iraola replaced Arne Slot last summer, it was difficult to envisage how Liverpool could get past both Arsenal and City within a year.

Now we expect City to be punished soon. Given the nature and severity of their misdemeanours it is inconceivable they will be a title contender if that happens. The door is open for those in the chasing pack with the capacity and will to walk through it.

My initial scepticism is becoming optimism

The broad expectation is Arsenal have the chance to make the title race a one-team procession. Mikel Arteta will tolerate no such complacency, nor anticipate such an easy ride, and when assessing which teams have the potential to be his nearest rivals, which team looks more likely to do so than Liverpool?

The manner in which Iraola is approaching his rebuild is exciting. He is coaching a flawed squad assembled at great expense, but they have been chiselling out good results while working out their best starting XI, beaten only once so far in all competitions.

That’s a great habit for a new coach. Strangely, the sole loss to City was met with more positive than downbeat vibes. There was nothing between the teams for an hour, the game settled by the contentious red card for Ryan Gravenberch.

Since then, there have been increasingly encouraging signs that the side is growing and individuals are enjoying playing under the new manager.

I count myself as one of those on a journey with Iraola from initial scepticism following his appointment towards cautious optimism having seen his vision starting to take shape.

My fear at the start of the season was that Liverpool employed a manager who had never won a trophy, nor managed in European competition. These did not strike me as solid credentials for a job of such stature. It felt like a gamble to opt for someone who would have to learn how to manage a big club rather than arrive ready-made. There was a lot to do, and some unanswered questions about what made Iraola the standout candidate, particularly given those who picked him – Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes – were about to announce their own departure as chief executive and sporting director, respectively.

Iraola and Arteta searching for optimal balance

In Iraola’s favour from the outset was the style of play which made Bournemouth such a great watch. If you love football, it is impossible not to enjoy how his sides go about their work, eager to get from back to front at warp speed.

For all the formations, tactical changes and influences on modern coaches, football managers will always be divided into two distinctive camps: those who prioritise attack and those who value success built on sound defence. Iraola vs Arteta could be viewed through such a lens.

Wherever you stand on which category your favourite coach belongs, the offensive manager seeking perfection will always want to be a little better defensively, and the defensive coach will crave more up front.

Ultimately, the greatest teams have the perfect blend of balance and control.

Liverpool seemed to have that in Slot’s debut campaign, only for the energy to drain from his team last season, when they became more vulnerable all over the pitch.

Arsenal are likely to win the title again because they are closer to it than anyone in England other than City, albeit they still need more in their forward line.

The bold calls Iraola is getting right

Iraola is a front-footed manager, but Liverpool’s recent success has been built upon a more robust back line, aided by the introduction of the exceptional young centre-back Jeremy Jacquet and emerging cult hero Ronald Araujo.

At the same time, the productivity up front has started to increase, with 15 goals in the last five games as Alexander Isak has found form, and teenager Rio Ngumoha gets everyone off their seat every time he is in possession. We are yet to see a full 90-minute Liverpool performance where all the elements come together, but there is already more to admire than concern.

Perhaps most encouraging of all is a togetherness in the team that was not there a year ago. My sympathy for Slot is on record. Tragically, he had a lot to deal with off the field. On it, my view is that when so many players were recruited in 2025, it had a detrimental impact as the new direction hindered rather than helped him.

Finding the right blend between those who had achieved so much at the club, and those signed for massive fees entrusted with maintaining that success, proved challenging.

Iraola’s different approach, in addition to the squad’s make-up absorbing more new signings, may mean that the club is emerging from this tricky transition as legends depart and new ones seek to make their name. I will not rewrite history and suggest all the transfer decisions were right. Liverpool have spent £700m since they won the league, and the strategy did not involve having to sack the coach who lifted the Premier League.

Iraola has not had it easy coming into the club at this point in its history. The biggest signings have much to prove long-term before Edwards and Hughes can claim vindication, and there is still more work to be done in the transfer market. Iraola needs two full-backs and a winger who is more comfortable on the right. He is overloaded with left wingers.

But if Iraola repeats Slot’s Premier League success during his Anfield career, Hughes and Edwards can expect more applause for getting it right for a successive time having done so when Jurgen Klopp left.

Iraola has made a fine start in eradicating doubts about his relative inexperience.

He is not afraid to make big decisions, preferring Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas over older players such as Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo, prepared to leave out established title winners such as Gravenberch, and never wasting time to make game-changing substitutes as he did to great effect against Brentford and Villarreal.

Such optimism also demands realism. The answer to my opening question about whether Liverpool will win the title this season remains a no. Unlike several weeks ago, it is not such an emphatic one.

Should Liverpool claim a statement victory over the champions on Sunday, mine will not be the only stance softening.