It’s all about fans. Or is it?
Liverpool have what money can’t buy, some say.
Try telling that to Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the others argue.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have the rights to claim that they are having the best of both worlds.
Watching the sea of red in the Liverpool city on May 29, one can be forgiven for thinking that Liverpool Football Club had won the Champions League the day earlier.
They indeed celebrated winning the FA Cup and League Cup after losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.
Had it been a political gathering, the term “uprising” would have fitted the bill. Religion-wise, it could have been compared to a Pope visit.
It was as if the Kopites in the city of Liverpool wanted to erase the successive pains of losing the Premier League and Uefa Champions League “finals” in a spate of one week by turning up in sheer numbers to welcome their crestfallen heroes.
The heartbreaks were still evident, of course, but the show of defiance, of unique loyalty, of thankfulness was also remarkable and it did lift the previously downcast players.
Cynical rival fans might describe it as a fake congregation intended to divert the world’s attention from the Champions League defeat in Paris hours before and the Premiership setback a week earlier.
Whether pretentious or real, the energy to show up alone was extraordinary. Which fan would have the strength to put on a team shirt, gather on the streets and create wildly happy scenes after back-to-back miseries?
The answer is the Kopites. And they are Liverpool’s greatest asset.
The team don’t have the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland but the absence of these biggest name players is compensated with what England and Tottenham striker Harry Kane calls the “craziest” fanbase.
Kane meant it as a compliment. If there was a tinge of jealousy in his remark, all Liverpool players have is thankfulness.
Returning home losers from Paris, all of them were taken aback and blown away.
“From the bottom of my heart, thank you,” tweeted left-back Andrew Robertson.
Reds captain Jordan Henderson said that just hours after the low point of losing to Real Madrid, he had “one of the best days” of his life.
Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said he had found new strength. Their teammates and manager Juergen Klopp talked about the same thing.
Their common message is that they would go for it again next season. With fans like that, who wouldn’t?
Fans were the main reason why Klopp changed his mind about retirement.
They were the reason why one former Liverpool coach said he did believe the Kop could actually suck the ball into opponents’ goal at Anfield.
But it was Manchester City who won the Premier League title. It was Real Madrid who defeated Liverpool in the UCL final.
It is arguable whether they were “better,” but they definitely are “richer”.
PSG comfortably win France’s top league year in and year out and, like Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are often expected to win the Champions League.
Moreover, the dogma that Anfield means a goal up for Liverpool even before the ball is kicked may no longer be hold true for everyone, happening only to “lesser” teams, but not the likes of Manchester City.
Show us the power of Anfield and we will show you what expensive squads could do if they are coached the right way.
Make no mistake, Liverpool are not a poor football club themselves.
However, Manchester City, Manchester United, PSG and Real Madrid must be more financially equipped to have more expensive benches. Having a good bench can make a huge difference in a long, tiring season.
Liverpool’s current dressing-room spirit is said to be among the best there is, but, even so, Sadio Mane has left for Bayern Munich reportedly because his wage demand was not met.
Mohamed Salah is having the same wage problem although he is likely to remain at Anfield for the next season.
Without UCL football, Manchester United would have snatched up Darwin Nunez because they reportedly were ready to offer him a bigger wage than Liverpool.
So, money remains a big, if not the biggest, issue. The upcoming season will see the debate continue.
Newcastle, now one of the richest clubs in the world due to a takeover by super-rich owners, also have highly passionate fans.
This provides an interesting setup for the new season. If money and “crazy” fans are equally important, Newcastle can claim they have both.