The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Don’t bet on a Liverpool repeat
Thank goodness it’s all over and I can come out from under the bedsheets. It’s where I’ve been hiding ever since Liverpool FC won the Premier League.
All my Liverpool-supporting contacts and friends were muted as soon as Manchester City lost at Chelsea because I knew what was coming from the world’s most irritating fanbase, although even I was shocked by the number of idiots who celebrated firework rockets shooting into one of the city’s most famous buildings.
Clearly too many football fans remain thick and too many take the sport far too seriously.
I doubt cures for cancer or the toppling of Piers Morgan from public life would be greeted by such over-the-top scenes of joy as Liverpool city centre endured/experienced last week.
Yes I know it had been 30 years since Liverpool had won a top-flight title - the continually hopeless TV match commentators rarely wasted a minute without telling us - but it was a football match towards the end of a football competition, one that had faded from a nation’s mind as there were far more important things to worry about.
A pandemic and the disgraceful decision of League One clubs to decide final positions based on average PPG to name but two.
I’m pleased for Jurgen Klopp who has been an almighty breath of fresh air since turning up at Anfield, but it’s fair to say I enjoy watching the manager more than I enjoy watching the team.
Liverpool are ruthlessly efficient, but given the choice of watching their athleticism or City’s artistry I’d take Pep Guardiola’s team every day.
Liverpool’s 2019-2020 version are not as watchable as their own all-time top team of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush and Alan Hansen
I now fear there is an irresistible clamour to make Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson player-of-the-season when he isn’t even in the top six performers in his own team and is far behind the Premier League’s real best player, the peerless Kevin De Bruyne (right).
But when Sky and BT pack out their punditry teams with Liverpool mouthpieces like Carragher, McManaman, Souness and Thompson it’s tough to get an unbiased opinion.
Naturally talk has already turned to dynasties, of how many titles in a row Liverpool will win.
Trust me it will probably end at one.
If I was a Liverpool fan I’d be concerned the club backed out of a bidding war with Chelsea for lethal German forward Timo Werner.
Strengthen when strong is always a good plan, especially when the African Nations Cup is scheduled for the middle of next season thus ruling out star men Mo Salah and Sadio Mane for five weeks.
Liverpool’s back-up players are not of a title-winning calibre as Divock Origi and Dejan Lovren prove whenever they are given a run of appearances.