Reds should enjoy celebrations but it’s what happens next that will define them
THE slightly anticlimactic nature of the coronation does not diminish the achievement. It’s Liverpool’s utter domination that drained the drama from this year’s Premier League. Some title races are defined by a magical intervention or a catastrophic slip, a twist of fate that could have spawned a different story. But the search for a turning point of this campaign is utterly futile. The moment that Liverpool won the league?
Pretty much every moment of the season was leading towards the inevitable conclusion.
The record-breaking run, and the ruminations over when they would claim the title rather than if they would, has allowed ample time to consider their standing. And there are conflicting views on what defines greatness.
Does the side who blast their way to one title in spectacular style leave a legacy that ranks them above teams who notch them up in a routine fashion?
It will always come down to personal preference but, as it stands, Liverpool have now won as many leagues in the modern era as Leicester.
Manchester City were going for their fifth in the space of nine years this term. Chelsea notched titles either side of Leicester’s fairytale story. It’s one thing to own a season, another to wrest control of a decade.
Seizing on points per games tallies or other statistical angles to point out how good they were in the 2019/’20 campaign doesn’t compare with the sustained excellence of the great teams of the 1970s and 1980s. It’s staying power that matters.
That may be lost in the commentary around the success because of what Liverpool means to hardcore fans on Merseyside that have lived through the near misses. The symbolism of what Jurgen Klopp’s side have managed to do is undeniable. Liverpool’s title famine is traced back to the grief of Hillsborough and the end of another era, so the emotion of this triumph is raw.
It ticks an important box, but the next challenge is to become the outstanding team of this generation.
They’ve still got work to do on that front, much as their Champions League joy last term following on from an agonising near miss in their almost flawless head-tohead with City means they can’t declared as one season wonders.
From there, they generated serious momentum to relentlessly march towards their league destiny. They are obviously a special group but it’s what happens next that will truly define them. Retaining the league brings new pressures.
They are fully entitled to enjoy the celebrations, but stalwarts of a golden era will tell them that it’s doing it more than once that provides the real satisfaction.
There is a sensitivity in Liverpool circles to the point being made that it hasn’t been a vintage year. But it was always going to be a twohorse race, and when City began to creak, with deficiencies in their squad exposed, it was Liverpool’s title to lose.
They’ve won it with so much to spare that they would have seen off a stronger version of City, yet Pep’s Guardiola’s unconvincing team were the only credible rival.
Arsenal and Spurs were flagging and had to change managers. Chelsea are in transition. Manchester United are gearing up for another strong finish that masks the road they still have left to travel.
Indeed, the view that this Liverpool team are unstoppable is tackled by the mediocre defence of
their Champions League crown.
Granted, it may not have been the priority so it would be unwise to place too much emphasis on the underwhelming group stage outings. Yet the manner of their exit to Atletico Madrid did raise questions.
A kind interpretation is that they were finding it so easy in domestic fare that they actually lacked a certain level of match sharpness when faced with a sturdy opponent with a steelier edge than the Premier opponents they are able to wear down from week to week.
Maybe it was just an off-day but it should serve as the motivation to strive for more.
Their European away record has left significant room for improvement too; they are a sensational team to watch in full flow but they can get better too and that should worry everybody else.
Hence the belief this should represent the start of something rather than the end of a chase. With Manchester City’s fate tied in with UEFA’s desire to get tough, all the signs are pointing to a sustained period of control. The age profile is reasonably good.
There are no indications the manager has plans to go anywhere and he seems to be a stable presence as opposed to a demanding presence with a shelf-life ala Mourinho.
Financially, they are on solid footing.
All the ingredients are there to rack up a sequence, but retaining a trophy tests desire and resolution in a different way to the pursuit of it. They’re not back on their perch yet. But it feels like it should only be a matter of time.
The view that this Liverpool team are unstoppable is tackled by the mediocre defence of their Champions League crown