A RED KLOPP SHOW

LONDON. — Whether you love Liverpool or loathe them, we are all wondering the same thing now — will they win one, two, three or all four trophies this season?

With less than a month left, an unprecedented quadruple no longer seems an impossible dream. In fact, even with only the Carabao Cup secured so far, the Reds can already claim they are closer to it than any English side has managed before.

Many have tried too.

Since it first became achievable in 1960, there have been 120 other attempts by 15 clubs to become champions of England, conquer Europe and win the FA Cup and League Cup in the same campaign.

We have seen three different trebles from those teams and 17 more did a double of some kind.

But, date-wise, no side has got this far into the season with their hopes still alive of an amazing clean sweep.

Manchester United’s 1998-99 Treble of Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup was historic in its own right, and is rightly seen as the greatest trophy haul by an English team of any era.

But, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side did not even get within six months of a quadruple because they went out of the League Cup to Tottenham in the quarter-finals on 2 December 1998.

That meant no-one was talking about an Old Trafford clean sweep by Christmas that year, let alone trumpeting about it the following spring.

Although, like Manchester City in 2019 and Liverpool in 1984, United still had plenty to celebrate then.

Rather than their more famous Treble winners, the United team that came closest to all four trophies was their 2009 side, which won the Premier League and League Cup.

They made it to within three wins of a quadruple but lost to Everton in the FA Cup last four and Barcelona in the Champions League final — and had to settle for ‘only’ two in the end. At the moment,

Liverpool have just the one trophy in the bag.

This is the Reds’ 24th attempt at a quadruple in the 47 seasons it has been possible since the League Cup was established in 1960-61 — the joint-most with United, who were denied an attempt in 19992000 when they did not take part in the FA Cup.

While Liverpool won one of the required trophies in seven of those seasons, did a double of some kind in four more and managed one treble of the league title, European Cup and League Cup in 1984, until this campaign they had never even reached March still in with a chance of all four.

The club’s other recognised treble, of 2000-01, is a notable achievement too, but does not count as a quadruple attempt because they were not in the Champions League that season.

Liverpool won the Uefa Cup, FA Cup and League Cup, while finishing third in the league.

As remarkable as the Reds’ season has been up to this point, it is the amount of silverware they eventually collect that will decide how it will be remembered.

Not how long they had a chance of winning everything or how many games away from glory they ended up.

Just ask Chelsea about that.

Until this week, Jose Mourinho’s 2007 side had stayed in contention for the quadruple longer than any other English club.

That was only 15 years ago, but it has already been largely forgotten — and was even overlooked by many while it was happening.

With four league games to go, the Blues were three points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United, not one.

But, like Liverpool now, they were already safely into the FA Cup final and had just won the first leg of their Champions League semi-final too.