'I don't think - Luis Enrique claim has just made an absolute mockery of Liverpool theory

It’s a theory that detractors have tried to use in a bid to diminish Liverpool’s achievement.

Even though the Reds are 13 points clear at the top of the table and have lost just two games, it has been claimed by outsiders that the Premier League is weaker this season than in previous years.

It is something that Arne Slot is fully in disagreement with. He has constantly said that since arriving in England, there are players at almost every top-flight club who are capable of operating in the upper echelons of the division.

Just take last Sunday’s 2-1 win over 17th-placed West Ham, for example. Slot was highly impressed by the performances of Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus. Paqueta was close to joining Manchester City for £80 million before the move was put paid to amid an FA investigation over alleged betting breaches. Kudus, meanwhile, has been linked with several top clubs, including Liverpool, and reportedly has an £85 million release clause.

Slot has been asked whether he believes this campaign’s Premier League has been sub-standard. He has scotched such claims. After the West Ham victory, the Dutchman insisted that the competition has never been as strong.

The race for European qualification would suggest so. With six matches remaining, there are still six clubs battling for a Champions League berth. Liverpool’s has already been secured. Meanwhile, the rest of the top nine are all trying to book their places in Europe for 2025-26 - whether that be the Europa League or Europa Conference League. A so-called minnow like AFC Bournemouth have players coveted by Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea.

One of the teams that are trying to qualify for the Champions League again are Aston Villa. They sit seventh in the table and face a stern challenge. However, they almost downed the team that many feel are presently the best team in the continent.

Paris Saint-Germain have already secured the Ligue 1 title having not lost a game. They also knocked Liverpool out of Europe’s elite club competition on penalties after a 1-1 draw over 210 minutes. The Reds edged a 1-0 win in the French capital, with PSG reversing the score at Anfield. Slot called Liverpool’s performance in the last-16 second leg ‘incredible’.

Yet Villa went agonisingly close to pulling off an almighty upset in the quarter-finals. While they lost 3-1 in Paris in the first leg last week, Unai Emery’s side produced a scintillating performance at Villa Park. Having fallen behind by two goals within 34 minutes, the Birmingham-based side pulled out a comeback that almost took the tie to extra-time. Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa were on target and they had PSG on the ropes trying to level the scoreline on aggregate. It proved too little, too late, though.

Villa could not find another goal to force an additional 30 minutes. At the full-time whistle, there was a mixture of disappointment and pride among supporters. PSG boss Luis Enrique admitted his side have never been dominated like they were.

“An exceptional start to the match but the end of the first half did not please me at all,” said the Spaniard. “It wasn’t at the level of expectations that the Champions League demands. “We conceded two goals in three minutes and after that it was very hard – lots of suffering. I don’t think that we have ever been dominated so much. The opponent was intense because they had to equalise.”

This season, Liverpool cruised to a 2-0 triumph against Villa at Anfield. They then earned a 2-2 draw at Villa Park in February. Yet Emery’s troops underlined their quality against a PSG side that are joint favourites to claim the Champions League for the first time. A weak Premier League they say? The team placed seventh have just beaten the potential conquerors of Europe.