Premier League 18-19: 5 reasons why Liverpool’s season will be a success irrespective of what happens in May

#4. Squad committed to a shared future

Liverpool FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

Though a 2nd placed finish after a closely fought race is a huge disappointment in itself, what happened to LFC squads in 2009 & 2014 was even worse. In one of the worst ever transfer market decisions, Xavi Alonso was sold in the summer of 2009. Rafa Benitez, Javier Mascherano, Fernando Torres followed him out in the next 12-18 months. It would take LFC 5 years to qualify for Champions League football again.

The aftermath of the 2014 campaign was no different. After Liverpool missed out on the title by a whisker, Luis Suarez – at that time the only world-class player at the club – left for Barcelona. The great Steven Gerrard with his powers on wane left the following season, shortly followed by Brendan Rodgers.

Such a scenario is unlikely to repeat this time though. Salah, Mane, Firmino, Van Dijk, Robertson, Alisson, Alexander-Arnold are among the players who have committed their long term futures to the club. This doesn’t seem like a motley crew assembled together for a one-off challenge. This seems more like a band of brothers willing to keep on fighting for the club, for each other, for the fans, and perhaps, more importantly, these days for their manager – who himself is committed for the longer term. This brings us to the final point.