This is Liverpool’s best chance to win the Premier League in years.
In 2008/09, Liverpool went on a stunning run, from March 2, of 10 wins in 11 games and picked up 31 points of a possible 33. Along the way, they humbled Manchester United 4-1 at Old Trafford after falling 1-0 behind early on.
That United still ended up winning the league by four points goes to show how much they were ahead of the Reds before that run-in. Alex Ferguson was after Liverpool’s total of 18 league trophies. Back in 2009, United had 16.
As he had so often done before, Ferguson rallied the troops. After that 4-1 reversal at Old Trafford, United went on to win their next seven games in a row. They clinched title number 17 with a 0-0 draw at home.
Job done.
Four points back but it might as well have been 40. Another season without the league trophy returning to Merseyside. Xabi Alonso, Steven Gerrard, Yossi Benayoun, Pepe Reina, Sami Hyppia, Jamie Carragher, Robbie Keane, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres in the squad but that was as close as they would get.
Liverpool, inspired by Luis Suarez and a mostly fit Daniel Sturridge, went closer in 2013/14. Brendan Rodgers looked to be capable of delivering what Rafa Benitez could not – ending a drought that had lasted since 1990.
That all came crashing down with a home loss to Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and a damaging 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace. City ended up winning the league by two points. In the seasons since 2013/14, Liverpool have finished 8th, 6th, 4th and 3rd.
Jurgen Klopp’s side may have finished behind City and United but they looked to be the only side capable of rattling Pep Guardiola’s champions. In the league and Champions League, Klopp sent his side out to feverishly press City and to expose their backline with pace, numbers and audacity.
Liverpool were buoyed by reaching the Champions League final in Kiev, but injury to Mo Salah and Loris Karius’ two poor mistakes – not long after he was clattered by Sergio Ramos – saw Real Madrid win out.
Heading into 2018/19, Liverpool fans are saying what they’ve been saying for 28 years now – ‘I fancy our chances next season’ – but they have every right to believe those words.
This time next year…..
First up, Klopp has addressed a problem that has dogged Liverpool for four years. He brought Loris Karius to Anfield, and backed him in public, but the German has convinced few that he is the long-term solution. Klopp and Liverpool paid the ultimate price, in Kiev, of persisting with two okay goalkeepers – Karius and Simon Mignolet – all season.
Klopp was interested in bringing in Alisson Becker even before the Karius clangers on the biggest stage in club football. Roma felt they could demand more when the negotiations finally began. Liverpool started with an offer just under £50m while the Italians wanted £90m. They met closer to the Reds’ side at £62.5m (with some performance and club-related add-ons).
Dismissing the painful fact that Becker was offered to Liverpool for £4m four years ago, when he was at Internacional, the Merseysiders have at least got in a quality shot-stopper, an astute distributor and, most importantly, a confident and assured player.
Naby Keita was already tied up before the summer but Liverpool appear to have bought well again. Only the most committed of fans can claim to have seen reams of Keita footage but reports from established football writers in Germany suggest Klopp has signed another tireless tyro. He should fit in well and provide some legs alongside Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, the £43.7m signing from Monaco.
Xherdan Shaqiri has been signed for the relatively cut-price £10m and is a punt worth taking. He is as capable of pure magic as he is of drifting out of games for long stretches but he looked on top form for Switzerland in the World Cup and delivered a rake of great crosses and through-balls.
One of the main reasons for Liverpool’s journey to the Champions League final was that they avoided too many serious injuries. Alex Oxlade Chamberlain bucked that trend and his knee injury looks set to wipe out most of 2018/19 for him. Still, Klopp will be aware that his squad needs more depth and quality and he is addressing that.
Dejan Lovren will return from his tour of World Cup duty with Croatia with restored confidence but it will be interesting to see if Klopp has the same opinion. For all his fierce competitive abilities, it is commonly accepted in football that Lovren is never too far from a costly mistake.
Gary Neville says most top defenders, if they play over 40 games per season, will be at fault for around four goals. Frustratingly for Reds fans, Lovren can often go 10 or 12 matches without a mistake before squeezing all four into a couple of weekends.
Harry Maguire could be a decent option to partner Virgil van Dijk in the centre of defence but his price will have shot up around £10m after his World Cup performances for England. Sturridge is back fit and featuring in pre-season games but another striking option, as back-up to Salah, is worth considering too. Nabil Fekir may yet arrive from Lyon while Juventus star Paulo Dybala has also been linked.
To push City – the clear favourites – close next season, Liverpool will need a few men already on the books to follow on from their impressive outings last time out. Mo Salah refused surgery on his shoulder to play for Egypt at the World Cup and is already back and scorching through fitness tests at Melwood. He will be looking to surpass his award-winning 2017/18 but even if he can deliver 80% that, Liverpool will be well set.
The others that need to push on, and who are more than capable of it, are Sadio Mané [the club’s newest No.10] and young full-back Trent Alexander Arnold.
You look back on those players from 10 years ago – Alonso, Gerrard, Torres, Reina, Hyppia, Carragher, Keane, Mascherano – and you wonder how they never pipped United to a title even once.
The 2018/19 squad – Salah, Firmino, Alisson, Robertson, Fabinho, Keita, Henderson, van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Mané, Shaqiri – has the potential to go that one step further. It’s only right that Liverpool fans are starting to believe.
