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What Liverpool have done this season is beyond what can be quantified through trophies. Trophies or not, Liverpool’s season has been a huge success.
It’s so easy you know. It’s so easy to undermine all the work Jurgen Klopp has done at Liverpool by simply pointing at his lack of trophies. It is a very simplistic viewpoint many people use for bashing him.
I don’t think people give enough credit to Klopp for bringing Liverpool back among the top dogs in England as well as in Europe. In a very short time, Liverpool have once again regained the status of an European powerhouse. Agreed, that they have made a significant investment, but we all know money doesn’t buy success (ahem, Paris Saint-Germain).
In the three-and-a-half seasons that Klopp has been at the helm, Liverpool have shown progressive improvement. From being a side that finished 8th to a side that challenged Manchester City for the Premier League title until the very end by amassing 97 points, the growth has been enormous. It is this kind of consistent growth that eventually leads to trophies (Germany played numerous finals and semi-finals before eventually conquering the world). Remember, consistency is the key.
Liverpool and Klopp deserve nothing but respect for what they’ve achieved this season. Irrespective of what happens in Madrid in the Champions League final, this team deserves our utmost respect.
Looking at Liverpool's season, we all should agree that it has been a massive success. Pointing out the specifics, here are the five reasons why the 2018-19 season has been a success for Liverpool.
#1 League Performance
Liverpool along with Manchester City gave football fans around the world one of the best title races seen in recent times. The race to be crowned the champions of England went right down to the wire, with only a single point separating the two sides. Liverpool finished as the runners-up with 97 points, a crazy 25 points ahead of third-placed Chelsea. During the entire league campaign, they lost only once. The Reds won 30 games, including their last nine fixtures. These are crazy statistics for any team. Such a point haul would have been enough for them to win the league in 25 of the last 27 seasons.
#2 Cup Run
Liverpool exited the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup fairly early. But their run in the biggest continental competition, the UEFA Champions League, has been exceptional. They managed to qualify from a tough group which had the likes of PSG and Napoli. Then, in the Round of 16, they ousted the German giants Bayern Munich. The two-legged quarter-final was a relatively straightforward affair against Porto. It was the semi-final though, where Liverpool showed their true potential by knocking out the mighty Barcelona in one of the greatest comeback stories of all time. They will face Tottenham in the final of the Champions League on 1st June. Two Champions League finals in two consecutive seasons is a massive achievement for Liverpool and Klopp.
#3 Player Development
What use is a coach if he cannot improve his players. Klopp understands it perfectly well. Under his tutelage, some of the players had the best season of their careers. Virgil van Dijk was a good player at Southampton. But currently, he is considered one of the best defenders in the world. Though he missed out on the Premier League trophy, Van Dijk won plenty of individual accolades. He finished the season being crowned the PFA Player of the Year as well as the Premier League Player of the Season. Not just Van Dijk, this season saw the step-up of Sadio Mane too, with the Senegalese scoring an amazing 22 league goals to claim the Premier League Golden Boot along with fellow Red Mohamed Salah and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson finished the season with 12 and 11 assists respectively, thus putting them among the best full-backs in the Premier League. Joe Gomez emerged as one of the best young central defenders who could prove beneficial for not just Liverpool but also for England for many years to come. Jordan Henderson had one of his best seasons in a Liverpool shirt after displaying immense composure and leadership throughout the campaign.
#4 Recruitment
Ask any Manchester United fan and he/she will tell you the value of good recruitment. After suffering due to the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria, and Radamel Falcao, Manchester United fans are well aware that spending money alone is not enough. A successful club must have a solid recruitment policy backed by a robust structure that is guided by a common vision. Klopp and company have always been very specific in their approach. Instead of signing a second or a third choice centre-back, they decided to wait for Van Dijk, and the results have been colossus. The recruitments of Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke, Fabinho from Monaco and Alisson Becker from Roma were all shrewd and successful. Although a manager cannot be directly credited for recruitment, his inputs carry significant weight.
#5 Feel-good Factor
Those who watched the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona know very well what I am talking about here. Liverpool have always had one of the best supporters. So, the arrival of the charismatic and passionate German at the touchline always seemed like a perfect match. In a time dominated by fickle fans, Klopp has managed to develop one of the staunchest supporter bases. This a set of fans who stand beside their team in victory as well as in defeat. The scenes before the second leg against Barcelona at the Anfield clearly highlight it. Klopp and his men were greeted with immense passion and warmth even at the face of defeat. This team has earned the respect of fans and has brought out a sense of pride. This is something trophies can’t buy.
At this point, it doesn’t matter if they win any trophy or not. However, a win in the biggest cup competition in Europe will be a befitting end to this remarkable season that Liverpool had.
Klopp and his men will Never Give Up. Klopp and his men will Never Walk Alone.
