I'm new here and I've supported Liverpool for 50 years - but I'm not an ABU. Someone pointed me at Red Café - I had no idea what it was. I live outside the UK but way back in this thread someone asked who are Liverpool's great players - and it struck me that this is where the wheels fell off your wagon.
I'll explain. I've rowed since I was 14 years old and I'm now in my early 70s and, in the rowing context, there's a saying I once heard that I think has applicability across many sports and that is, "Don't select your eight best - pick your best eight..".
Bobski was just one of a few here who made the point that football is a team game. I read somewhere recently that before signing anyone, Klopp sits down with a prospective signing and has a long talk with him to find out what his motivations are, to try and get a handle on if he's a team player or not.
Another 'plus' for Klopp is that he has a vision of how he thinks football should be played - and he recruits accordingly.
From the outside looking in, it seems to me that the recruitment policy at OT has long been based on "If a £50m player is good, imagine how much better a £100m player would be..". There's always been the temptation to go for the marquee signings. Money is clearly not the answer - Leicester proved that. How much did that Class of '92 cost you?
The mentality of a player is all-important: look how the performances of Coutinho and Suarez have gone downhill since they left Anfield. And as for Messi.. he's not a team player.. and in the modern game there's no room for those who think they are above tracking back. Mané, Salah and Firmino understand this.
To go back to where I started, I think of the XI Reds that started the Barca match, how many are great players? VVD? Yes. Becker? I think so. TAA? I think so. Andy Robertson? Yes, I think so. The rest? I think they were well coached, well drilled, and they knew and understood what the game plan was - and they could execute it. Plus - and this is a huge plus - they were physically up to the challenge.
In summary, you need the money men, the board, the manager, the scouting team, the squad and the supporters all aligned. For the first time in a loong time, it seems they have that in place at Anfield. We went through decades of pain to get there - and you have no idea how much it hurt to see the club I love turn in average performances.
First though, you need a coherent strategy - finding the right people to implement it is another story. It's taken us nearly 30 years.