'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Liverpool roared back to the top of European football by clinching their sixth Champions League title. The Reds fell just 1 point short of the eventual Premier League winners, Man City, even after accumulating 97 points.
Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane topped the goal-scoring charts in the Premier League along with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Alisson Becker claimed the Golden Glove. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson provided a combined 23 assists in the League and a further 5 in the Champions League. The front three of Salah, Mane, and Firmino also managed to score 13 CL goals with Divock Origi chipping in a very important 3 goals.
The critics were well silenced and Klopp managed to get his hands on his first trophy as Liverpool manager. The Premier League title race was held to be the best race in the League's history and apart from the Champions League trophy, the comeback against Barcelona showed the world what the club is made of. All-in-all it was a successful season with the memories of post-Benitez Liverpool, under Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, being wiped out.
Trending
The manager has promised his near future to Liverpool and the club has tied most of the players through long-term contracts. Moreover, the players themselves have emotionally connected to the manager, the club, and the fans.
With a strong base built up, Liverpool club and fans have a lot to look forward to, starting with the 2019/20 Premier League and Champions League season.
The core of the team
Klopp has fit perfectly into his job like a missing piece of a puzzle. The coaching and support staff have shown their talents in the season gone by and the starting XI looks almost secure, of course, subject to any transfers. Apart from fatigue, injury, or some tactical changes, the playing XI that Klopp might put out is predictable.
Although a team is made up of 11 players at any given time and they all have to perform for the team to achieve something, there a few names that stand out and are the main ingredients of a winning team.
For Liverpool, the likes of van Dijk and Alisson have been these ingredients. van Dijk became the talk of the town due to his impeccable defending and calm demeanour in tense situations. He won individual awards including the Players' Player of the Year and the PFA Player of the Year. He has also been touted by some to win the Ballon d'Or. For any player to be considered alongside Messi and Ronaldo for the award, much less a defender, is no mean feat.
Van Dijk has faced the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Leo Messi, to name a few and hasn't been dribbled past even once.
Liverpool goalkeeper problems after Simon Mignolet's not-so-solid performances looked to have been solved after Klopp brought in Loris Karius from Mainz. However, he never inspired confidence and his blunders in the Champions League final against Real Madrid was the last straw as club loaned him out to Besiktas.
Klopp then brought in the then most expensive goalkeeper in the world Alisson Becker from Roma. Although his price tag was doubted at first, his performaces settled the debate and he established himself as one of best goalkeepers in the world. He also won the Golden Glove for keeping 21 clean sheets in the League. He also kept 6 clean sheets in 13 matches in the Champions League. His match saving stops against Napoli, Man Utd, Everton, to name a few and the heroic performance against Barcelona in that incredible comeback, show his true ability. Although it has just been one season, many have tipped him to overtake Pepe Reina as Liverpool's best ever goalkeeper.
Looking at the squad strength, the more a player is secured about his spot in the team, the more the player delivers. This was evident from the performances of Joel Matip in the absence of Joe Gomez. The uncertainty that plagued Liverpool a few years back with players coming and going regularly has been done away with. Barring a couple of spots, Liverpool boast of good squad strength. This was confirmed by the performances of the likes of Matip, Xherdan Shaqiri, Naby Keita, and Divock Origi.
Transfer Business
Many players, as usual, have been linked with a transfer to Liverpool. With the prospect of another title challenge, Champions League football and a sizeable transfer budget, it will not be difficult for Liverpool to bring in good players.
The players who will leave include Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno. It also seems that Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius will have to look for new pastures. Thus, the primary positions that need good backups are between the sticks and at left-back. The future of Nathaniel Clyne is not secure leaving the backup right back, a point of contention.
The midfield looks almost untouchable. The players available to Klopp in midfield are Henderson, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Keita, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, and the young guns like Curtis Jones, Rafael Camacho, and so on. The frontline also looks secure with Origi and Shaqiri proving to be efficient options for Klopp.
Although Salah, Mane, and Firmino are untouchable, the number of games that a club plays and the resulting increase in injuries requires a manager to rotate players regularly. Even though Sturridge is destined to leave the club, Origi has made his name due to his Champions League performances and has proven himself to be an able deputy. With Rhian Brewster almost certain to receive his senior cap, the center-forward position is secure. Shaqiri has also shown his quality whenever afforded the opportunity.
Thus Liverpool have the luxury of carefully planning the transfer business and stabilizing the squad without spending big money.
Season 2019/20: Preview
With a settled squad, the manager and his staff working their magic, the club and the fans have a lot to look forward to in the next season. The previous Premier League season showed the massive quality difference between the top two teams and those below them. Man City garnered 98 points, Liverpool achieved 97, Chelsea was third at 72 points, with Tottenham and Arsenal at 72 and 71 respectively.
Thus it will be logical to conclude that Liverpool will mount another title challenge based on their strong defense and a new system of football. They can rectify the shortcomings from the previous season; the ones that come to mind are the frustrating draws that led Liverpool to give up a 7 point gap over Man City.
On the domestic front, although the FA Cup and the League Cup might take a backseat to the League title or European Cups, they do help in building up the trophy cabinet. It was speculated last season that Klopp ignored these cups to focus more on the title challenge and the Champions League. Although this might have been somewhat true, it paid its dividends. However, this season, Klopp might look to rotate the squad and challenge for the cups as well. Man City were able to do so along with the title run.
In Europe, the defending champions will look to retain the crown and raise their standing among the best clubs in the world. With Klopp now having experienced three Champions League finals and most of the squad having played in two finals, the future concerning the Champions League looks bright.
The atmosphere of the club is pumping and the manager has gotten everyone excited with his tactics, gameplay, and vision. With the players also equally involved, Liverpool Football Club is heading in the right direction to once again be part of the royalty of European football.
