It gets more difficult to make that breakthrough as time goes on. We were very fortunate that our rivals were Villa and Norwich that season that we won it the first time under Sir Alex. Had it been bigger clubs more accustomed to the pressures of competing for the title then we might not have taken it.
The previous season we should have won the title but fell to pieces while Leeds managed to hold their nerve. That season a lot of big name players couldn't cope with the pressure and our form towards the end of the season was absolutely wretched.
Over the last decade, Liverpool have only managed 1 genuine challenge for the title. If you look back at our long dry spell we had a similar track record with plenty of seemingly strong squads simply not competitive over the course of the season. The only seasons that I can recall that we really should have won the title were the year Leeds won it, as mentioned above, and the year we had the 10 points lead after our fantastic start to the season with Barnes, Strachan and Olsen playing superb football.
Liverpool may find over the next 10 years or so, that they are in contention 3 or 4 times but that the pressure takes its toll on the players during the final run in and they end up with near misses rather than being title winners. Right now, 4 serious challenges over the next 10 years looks optimistic given the state of the club and the gap between their current level and that of those other main contenders.
