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The last two months of Liverpool's season would determine the extent of their success this season. The Reds were in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and were in pole position to qualify for it next season through the league. The lack of quality squad depth started to show quite prominently as more players started getting injured.
Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would all have their seasons ended due to injuries. This left Liverpool with a very limited line-up for the remainder of the season. Luckily, the lot of players who were fit had done extremely well for the Reds.
This was the time where Liverpool needed all their stars to be firing, a very critical period. The Reds had more to play for at the end of 2017-18, than the end of most seasons in the last decade or two. European qualification and possible immortality were on the line for these players, as they prepared for the final two months of a crazy season.
[You can read part 1 of this Liverpool review here]
[You can read part 2 of this Liverpool review here]
April
Liverpool's first piece of action after the final international break of the season was a trip to Selhurst Park, a place where their worst nightmares came true. The Reds put in a gutsy performance to win 2-1, before their huge quarter-final first leg. Liverpool's attack took Manchester City completely by storm as they raced to a 3-0 lead within half an hour. A stupendous defensive display ensured that City didn't score an away goal, giving the Reds a huge advantage.
A boring goalless draw at Everton followed before the daunting second leg at the Etihad Stadium. A dire first-half performance put doubts on whether Liverpool would qualify, but a counter-attacking masterclass led to a 2-1 victory for Liverpool on the night. The Reds were in their first Champions League semi-final in ten years.
Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-0 at Anfield, before a couple of draws against relegation certainties meant that their Champions League spot was not yet confirmed. In between a 2-2 draw at West Brom and a 0-0 draw to Stoke, Liverpool gave their best-attacking performance of the season. A rampant Red frontline wrecked havoc against Roma at Anfield, as Mo Salah was the star of the show.
His brace took Liverpool to a 5-0 lead and comfort. However, two late goals from Roma meant that the tie was not over. Liverpool still had a huge battle on their hands if they were to reach the Champions League final.
May
May started with the second leg of the semi-final as Roma tried to come back from the dead for the second time in the Champions League this season. But the Reds were not having any of it. They lead 2-1 at half-time thanks to Gini Wijnaldum's first away goal in forever. A late barrage from the Italian side wasn't enough, as Liverpool won 7-6 on aggregate and reached the Champions League final. Keep in mind, this was their second Champions League campaign since 2009.
The 4-2 defeat in the capital of Italy was followed with a 1-0 defeat in the capital of England. Chelsea beat Liverpool to draw level with them on the points table, as the Reds had won one game in five. Luckily, the Blues ended up shooting themselves in the foot with a defeat on the final day of the season against Newcastle. Liverpool rounded off a strong Premier League season with a 4-0 win against Brighton.
Mo Salah broke the record for the number of goals scored in a 38-game Premier League season as he scored his 32nd league goal, while Dominick Solanke and Andy Robertson both got their first goals for the club. All things considered, Liverpool had become a very solid force as they were the only team to be unbeaten at home in the 2017-18 Premier League season. Now it was off to Kiev.
Champions League final vs Real Madrid
Liverpool were fearless in their approach against the mighty Real Madrid as they came out of the blocks early. However, they could not find a goal to show for it. A shoulder injury to Salah put a huge dampener on the Reds. The players were rattled by the loss of their star man. His replacement, Adam Lallana had hardly played all season, let alone in the wide positions.
After a scrappy first half which ended goalless, a terrible mistake from Loris Karius gifted a goal to Karim Benzema and made it 1-0 to Madrid. The goalkeeper has let off as Sadio Mane equalised from a corner. However, a stunner from substitute Gareth Bale shocked the Reds as Madrid re-took their lead.
Another error from Karius gave Bale his second goal and sealed a third consecutive Champions League final victory for Zinedine Zidane and his men. It was a brave effort from Liverpool, but lady luck was not on their side that night. Most of the team showed up and performed exceptionally well, better than the Europa League final two years ago. It was an unfortunate end to a promising season for the Reds.
Looking towards next season
Liverpool have already started building towards next season, in hopes of achieving greater things as a unit. Along with the pre-agreed arrival of Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, the Reds swiftly completed the transfer for the versatile Fabinho from AS Monaco. He can play as a midfielder and at right-back, making him a very viable addition to a side that is crying out for more depth.
If there is anything we learnt from the heartbreaking Champions League final loss, it is that Liverpool don't have enough strength-in-depth. Gareth Bale came on as a substitute for Real Madrid and changed the game. Liverpool's bench did not have any game changers that night. After the loss of Salah, Liverpool struggled due to not having a suitable replacement for him on the bench. They need forwards to provide necessary cover for the front three in case one of them gets injured for an extended period of time.
As well as Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum did towards the end of the season, the Reds require a fresher and more creative midfield three. Hence, the arrivals of Keita and Fabinho are very welcome. Liverpool are also looking at Lyon's Nabil Fekir as a potential creative arrival. This would stack the depth of the Reds' midfield and strengthen the squad as a whole.
Defensively, Liverpool are solid enough with the addition of Virgil van Dijk. However, another centre-back may be required, either to partner van Dijk or act as a third choice. Dejan Lovren has been prone to some silly errors over the course of the season, but he has also proved to be excellent at times. The entire back-four had a fantastic game against the Galacticos, only to be undone by three freak goals they couldn't do anything about. Full-backs Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold are both young and excellent at what they are doing, making them primed to continue in their current roles for the better part of the next decade.
Goalkeeper remains the trickiest issue for Jurgen Klopp this summer. He was seemingly going to stick with Loris Karius, who had shown a vast improvement between the sticks since returning to the team. However, his nightmare performance against Madrid would likely prompt Klopp into looking for a 'keeper in the market. Karius would probably remain at Liverpool as a back-up, while Simon Mignolet says goodbye to Anfield. There are a whole host of possible options to sign for Liverpool.
For once, Liverpool have their transfer priorities sorted and have the financial resources to achieve them. With how the team is shaping up, the future looks extremely bright for Jurgen Klopp and his team. A few more pieces of the jigsaw are left but once they are solved, the Reds can realistically challenge for any trophy they want to. As shown by the events of 2017-18, Liverpool can blow away even the best. The project is still going on, but Klopp's Liverpool are very nearly the finished article. These are exciting times to be a Red!
