Liverpool really rode their luck this season, with VAR and no injuries. They are a really good team, no doubt about that. But it’s difficult to keep the same level of hunger in the players. This title is their first in 30 years, that is an extreme level of hunger which has just been satisfied. It will take a lot more (squad shake-up etc) to repeat it. They certainly can’t spend at the level of City, Chelsea or United without having to sell one of their best players.
How long will Liverpool's dominance last?
- Thread starter Irrational.
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They have been incredible for the past two seasons. Deserved winners.
How many teams have even picked up points at Anfield in that time?
For some reason, I can't really give a shit. They won the league all the way back in November/December.
Klopp deserves a lot of credit. I keep looking at their squad individually, I don't see many special talents if any.
Salah, Mane, TAA, VVD are all very good players at the top of their game but you won't exactly call them prime Aguero, SIlva class.
What they are is a very efficient team will drilled in how they play.
As I said earlier, I am struggling to give much of a shit. I am only concerned about us putting ourselves in a good position to compete.
How many teams have even picked up points at Anfield in that time?
For some reason, I can't really give a shit. They won the league all the way back in November/December.
Klopp deserves a lot of credit. I keep looking at their squad individually, I don't see many special talents if any.
Salah, Mane, TAA, VVD are all very good players at the top of their game but you won't exactly call them prime Aguero, SIlva class.
What they are is a very efficient team will drilled in how they play.
As I said earlier, I am struggling to give much of a shit. I am only concerned about us putting ourselves in a good position to compete.
They won't win the title next year. They'll be sure to piss everyone in England off enough celebrating this one that teams will want to beat them next season.
Klopp’s the real deal, sadly. He won’t become his own worst enemy and lose the dressing room and fans like Benitez did and he won’t accept complacency from his players.
It’s a case of other teams being able to challenge them by getting 90+ points each season. Speaking of which, it’s unlikely they’ll ever mess up a summer as badly as City did when not replacing Kompany either. The league would still be undecided this year but for that.
It’s a case of other teams being able to challenge them by getting 90+ points each season. Speaking of which, it’s unlikely they’ll ever mess up a summer as badly as City did when not replacing Kompany either. The league would still be undecided this year but for that.
If City dont get CL for 2 seasons then you could see a few players leaving.
The reason they have a good chance is there is no one else to compete with them. They are a ready made team, I can assure you they will go again.
They have been very lucky none of their key players have been injured for a considerable amount of time. If Mane, Salah or VVD get injured and miss 10-12 games, they will struggle.
That was not a real title - remember any of the 13 we won since their last legitimate title, Won through blood sweat and tears. There is no way this is anywhere near that and any sane minded person will not count this as anything but some weird training thing to please Sky / BT / money - the most meaningless sporting thing ever
If you look at the stats this season, as in performance and xG and all that nonsense, City have been the better team over the season but Liverpool have been very lucky and clinical when it counts. Liverpool can't possibly have 3 seasons of championship form in a row, I don't think they'll get everything their own way next season, and no one will be allowed to leave City next season, even if they are banned. I think it will get ugly over there before people leave.
Don’t forget Bournemouth, buddy. Another warchest there.
Cheating, money-laundering bastards.
SAF told many a times it's in cycle of 3 to 4 years. They have gone through 4 years with stability and good squad building with luck also favoring (no long term injuries to their key players). Now the hard part will come since the pressure will be on them to retain the title. Not many teams have been able to successfully defend the title. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have done this in this millenia and next year would show the squads mentality. We know Dortmund has won titles back to back but then it hasn't challenged Bayern after 2012-2013 and 2013-2014(financial capacity may also come here) and then tapered off. Dortmund was stripped with their key players from other teams in Europe. Liverpool has good financials but you never know the players would want different challenge elsewhere.
Also now he has to be ruthless and able to move along players who may be on the fringe. Jurgen Klopp being a good tactician is yet to show the adaptibility in his tactics when players are not at their peak. Considering Mainz and Dortmund as examples.
Jurgen Klopp himself has mentioned that maintaining SAF's consistency will be monumental task but I also would like to see if his Gegen pressing stays for long since football is being constantly evolving and whether the new players they buy are integrated well into the Squad( Kieta has not shown what was in Leipzig)
Also now he has to be ruthless and able to move along players who may be on the fringe. Jurgen Klopp being a good tactician is yet to show the adaptibility in his tactics when players are not at their peak. Considering Mainz and Dortmund as examples.
Jurgen Klopp himself has mentioned that maintaining SAF's consistency will be monumental task but I also would like to see if his Gegen pressing stays for long since football is being constantly evolving and whether the new players they buy are integrated well into the Squad( Kieta has not shown what was in Leipzig)
As long as Klopp remains
Will last about 3 months until next season starts is my guess. We’ll see what they do in the market, but they aren’t that good for me.
Agreed. City are 23 points behind but up to Wednesday had an identical goal difference, which is absolutely absurd really.
Liverpool, as you say, are outperforming themselves for two seasons now and on course to have 97+ points in consecutive seasons. It would be preposterous to think they could do the very same thing for a third.
Which games were Liverpool lucky? United stumbled over the line many times in games during a title race. XG doesn't account for the mental aspect of the game and team spirit. I believe your posts about this issue are more wishful than anything else. They just don't concede many goals and if you don't concede.......
there is no reason they cannot have 3 challenges in a row. They challenged for the CL twice in a row and have effectively won or challenged for a major trophy for 4 straight seasons. You have to factor in reinforcements too. Will they win the league? I have my doubts as retaining the title seems near impossible for many.
This season was a freak occurance. Not saying all those wins are a fluke, but almost all games I watched from em could go either way. They all went their way which in itself is an achievement, but they didn't blow everyone of the pitch like some of the Pep teams of the past.
Im sure they'll challenge for the title regularly in the coming years, but I see (hope) United catching up a bit and Chelsea is bound to come back swinging after their ban is lifted. And then there's always Spurs, but well, it's Spurs.
I feel like there was another London based contender somehow. Something with a cannon? Or gun? Dunno.
Im sure they'll challenge for the title regularly in the coming years, but I see (hope) United catching up a bit and Chelsea is bound to come back swinging after their ban is lifted. And then there's always Spurs, but well, it's Spurs.
I feel like there was another London based contender somehow. Something with a cannon? Or gun? Dunno.
This squad can be competitive for another couple of years, I reckon - as long as no top players want to leave. Solid central defence and keeper are good for a while yet. The two attacking full backs, who are key to the way they play, are young. The midfield won't be too hard to keep up to scratch because they rely far more on hard work than brilliant talent in that area. It's the two fast, goalscoring, wide attackers who will be most difficult to keep going and eventually replace- both are now 28, and before lockdown were starting to look knackered. Lack of long season breaks in the next two summers might drain energy, so they will need to bring in some squad cover front and back to keep going. But if I were a Liverpool fan (God forbid) I'd be looking forward to the next two years, no problem.
I can think of a few. Against us at OT is one, Ashley young standing and watching lallana walk past him to tap in.
Add to that, the goals disallowed against them for absolutely no reason, klopp not being sanctioned in the slightest for his behaviour, running into the pitch, slagging the refs after games etc, mourinho got 3 games for putting a toe on the pitch. No retrospective action against the likes of Robertson.
I'm not saying they don't deserve to win, but the table doesn't reflect the truth.
They've been shite for large swathes of the season but have benefitted from a lot of helping hands.
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As long as Klopp is still there, they will be formidable, I do not think they will dominate though. I believe next season the trophies will be shared by four teams instead of 2 and Liverpool will not retain the league.
They've had all the luck in the world lately. They won't dominate.
You don't win the PL by luck. Just let it go.
If City don't sort their defence they'll win it again comfortably next season.
I can see them going maybe another year at a really high level but they will need good signings to refresh the squad and to stop the fatigue coming which inevitatably will creep in.
What did Hansen always say, winning is the easy part, it's sustaining achievement that is difficult.
Liverpool will be the team to beat next season, and they've been extremely consistent in the last two years. What happened to City this season might happen the next for them, but I don't think Klopp will neglect his defence as Pep has done.
Liverpool will be the team to beat next season, and they've been extremely consistent in the last two years. What happened to City this season might happen the next for them, but I don't think Klopp will neglect his defence as Pep has done.
would be funny if they lost there last 7 matches
2o years
They‘ve just had the most perfect, serendipitous chain of events that have lead to them being in this position, something which I can‘t imagine happening again.
1. Getting Klopp - the timing was simply perfect. He had left Dortmund and Liverpool were on the lookout for a new manager.
2. Their transfer strategy - they managed to get over £200 million from the sales of Suarez and Coutinho alone, and ended up being a better team as a result of their sales. Add this to pillaging of Southampton whilst having teams like Bournemouth pay a fortune for their flops meant they had plenty of funds. Transfer-wise, they have almost always landed on their feet. Robertson at £8 million another absolute steal, VVD hitting the ground running and immediately raising the bar for their defence.
3. Peripheral players stepping up at just the right time. In any other universe, players like Origi and Wijnaldum are not even top four quality - yet time and again they have stepped up at crucial times and got critical goals. The most unlikely fringe heroes. Understated players like Milner stepping in seamlessly and doing a brilliant job. The epitome of professionalism. Almost never missing a penalty.
4. Teams being super-wasteful against them. Just count the number of games they won by the skin of their teeth, by one goal margins in the league this season. Teams also have a habit of being so wasteful against them and not punishing their mistakes. Just look at the Everton game the other day - they could and should have scored a couple. Hopefully Teams will wise-up to them and will approach the games differently. I think playing opposition as PL champions will create an extra level of difficulty (as previous champions know). Teams are even more determined to step up and try to get something.
5. The core of players they do have are in their primes.
Had things just been a tiny bit different, they‘d still have Brentan in charge still daring to dream with Coutinho saving them every now and again.
I just hope this success is like a Jenga tower block, with one or two instances causing them to unravel towards a huge downwards spiral. We can all hope.
1. Getting Klopp - the timing was simply perfect. He had left Dortmund and Liverpool were on the lookout for a new manager.
2. Their transfer strategy - they managed to get over £200 million from the sales of Suarez and Coutinho alone, and ended up being a better team as a result of their sales. Add this to pillaging of Southampton whilst having teams like Bournemouth pay a fortune for their flops meant they had plenty of funds. Transfer-wise, they have almost always landed on their feet. Robertson at £8 million another absolute steal, VVD hitting the ground running and immediately raising the bar for their defence.
3. Peripheral players stepping up at just the right time. In any other universe, players like Origi and Wijnaldum are not even top four quality - yet time and again they have stepped up at crucial times and got critical goals. The most unlikely fringe heroes. Understated players like Milner stepping in seamlessly and doing a brilliant job. The epitome of professionalism. Almost never missing a penalty.
4. Teams being super-wasteful against them. Just count the number of games they won by the skin of their teeth, by one goal margins in the league this season. Teams also have a habit of being so wasteful against them and not punishing their mistakes. Just look at the Everton game the other day - they could and should have scored a couple. Hopefully Teams will wise-up to them and will approach the games differently. I think playing opposition as PL champions will create an extra level of difficulty (as previous champions know). Teams are even more determined to step up and try to get something.
5. The core of players they do have are in their primes.
Had things just been a tiny bit different, they‘d still have Brentan in charge still daring to dream with Coutinho saving them every now and again.
I just hope this success is like a Jenga tower block, with one or two instances causing them to unravel towards a huge downwards spiral. We can all hope.
Depends on how they perform in the transfer market. Fergie always strengthened the side especially when we were at the top to ensure the hunger among the squad and avoid any complacency . In 06/07, right after a title win after a long wait (yes, I know it was only 3 years), we immediately strengthened by signing Nani, Anderson, Hargreaves and Tevez. And we won the next 2 PL and reached 2 CL finals, winning one.
The other parallel to that is the Arsenal Invincibles side which performed poorly in the cup competitions but were exceptional, albeit somewhat lucky, in the PL. For whatever reason, they didn't make any blockbuster signings to take them to the next level.
If Liverpool show ambition, they can easily dominate the next season as well. City look bereft of leaders and all others are way off. But it is Liverpool themselves who can be their own undoing.
The other parallel to that is the Arsenal Invincibles side which performed poorly in the cup competitions but were exceptional, albeit somewhat lucky, in the PL. For whatever reason, they didn't make any blockbuster signings to take them to the next level.
If Liverpool show ambition, they can easily dominate the next season as well. City look bereft of leaders and all others are way off. But it is Liverpool themselves who can be their own undoing.
It's hardly dominance. Fantastic for 2 seasons but you can only attribute 'dominance' when it's lasted a longer period.
Personally I think teams will rebuild and it won't be easy but they are ahead
Personally I think teams will rebuild and it won't be easy but they are ahead
Liverpool have outperformed their xG for a solid season and if xG is worth anything, it states that at some point your luck will run out. Have a read here: https://statsbomb.com/2020/02/being-lucky-and-good-liverpool/
I also saw a detailed Reddit post about where they should finish this season (2nd) based on stats.
In a nutshell, Liverpool in quite a few games, have had half chances and scored them when they really shouldn't have statistically. The same applies for opponents missing solid chances against them. This kind of luck over 3 seasons would be unprecedented as it's already a freak show right now.
City have stayed true to their stats more or less.
No it won't. They have to play Chelsea yet
City need to do that to win the CL but not the PL, under normal circumstances they would have won it this year. You'd expect them to sign at least one CB or FB this summer though. Probably the end for Stones and Otamendi also.
It would make them possibly the luckiest team ever to grace the game. I just can't see them operating at that level again for a 3rd successive season, it would be completely unheard of. What they've essentially done is had 2 Leicester 2015 seasons back to back
I predict they'll be strong next season too. City's squad needs a refresh. They haven't replaced Kompany and their defence beyond Laporte is poor. Silva will be gone and they look largely un-threatening when Aguero is out.
Everyone else look too far away from matching them in the next 12 months, and you'd imagine Liverpool are an attractive prospect for incoming players now so they could be stronger. You'd have to hope they unravel a bit and perhaps become a bit complacent now they've won the two big trophies they were after.
Everyone else look too far away from matching them in the next 12 months, and you'd imagine Liverpool are an attractive prospect for incoming players now so they could be stronger. You'd have to hope they unravel a bit and perhaps become a bit complacent now they've won the two big trophies they were after.
Agreed. Even the most neutral football fan would admit they’ve had, what, only ten genuinely impressive performances this season to date? Yet they have 86 points out of a possible 93. Even going further back, they’ve something like 145 points out of the 153 available across the second half of 2018/19 and 2019/20 to date. It’s genuinely flabbergasting.
Klopp’s stubbornness will be their undoing in the end, I feel. He has no Plan B to speak of: it’s the same 4-3-3 bumrush system week in, week out and pretty much the same starting XI every game. How he feels he can eke top performances off this group of players in that intense environment for ~180 games over three years straight is mind-boggling. Hopefully it’s a trap he falls into, mind. He has shown no capacity to re-build teams in his managerial career to date. They haven’t any money to spend, nor are the youngsters coming through pulling up any trees. They made hay while their first XI reached their collective peaks and all credit to them for that, but you’d be skeptical of them having sustained success over the next 3-5 years.
What dominance? They’ve won the league once?
We were told they wouldn’t be able to match pushing City all the way last season, here they are a better team than then. No one is making up 25 points one them next season
I remember feeling like this when Chelsea looked unbeatable, and recently when City did. The fact is, it's hard for teams to keep that up and they usually just tail off through a combination of things. Sir Alex proved how hard it is to stay at the top for even 3 years, and points/performance wise Liverpool have had 2 outstanding seasons. You could argue they've had 3 since they made 2 straight CL finals before this season. I don't think they'll have much more in the tank to be honest.
They don’t have to. Everybody starts at zero points. Leicester have ‘made’ up 25 points on City this season.
Not more than 1 fecking year I hope.
If City and Chelsea can't step up next season, we'll just have to do it ourselves.
If you turn up with some belief, they can be beaten. They are not at the level of prime Barca where it really is an almost impossible job.
If City and Chelsea can't step up next season, we'll just have to do it ourselves.
If you turn up with some belief, they can be beaten. They are not at the level of prime Barca where it really is an almost impossible job.
What counts as dominance? I expect City to bounce back next season. This has been a strange season where everything has gone their way, especially the way City have kept dropping points.
13 articles on the BBC, 13. And the media love in has only just begun. Expect klopp to in the new years honours at this rate.