Waiting three decades to win a league title has made Liverpool supporters all too aware that nothing is promised in football. Indeed, such an excruciating wait has a habit of making fans live in the moment and not plan too far ahead. There is, after all, no guarantee that these celebratory times will come around again anytime soon.
In reality, even the most bullish fans who celebrated Liverpool’s 2019/2020 title success would have had a nagging voice in the back of their heads wondering when this would all take place again. The 30 years in between league triumphs has left a fan base that had grown accustomed to winning titles looking ahead with concern despite the euphoria that this long-awaited glory brought with it. Do you get swept away or do you try and manage exceptions for fear of a drought setting in again?
These are conversations that Liverpool fans would have perhaps had over the summer of 2020 and ones that they will be looking back on now after Man City recently won the 2020/2021 title. In truth, everyone knew that City would win the league as far back as February after teams around them began to spectacularly implode. Indeed, it was a short and thoroughly disappointing title defence from the Reds that was marred by collapses against City and Leicester.
The reaction on Soccer Saturday to Leicester City’s second goal 😳 🤣 pic.twitter.com/lh4MyrDWYX
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 13, 2021
These inexplicable performances that ultimately put a stop to Liverpool’s winning streak reminded the rest of the Premier League that Jurgen Klopp’s men were fallible after all. Competing teams then grew more confident as Liverpool seemed to be less of a threat. Defeats to relegated Fulham, and a first loss against Everton at Anfield since 1999 officially confirmed this. It was a sight few could believe they were witnessing after only a year earlier, Klopp had branded his team ‘mentality monsters.’.
It wasn’t the most conventional compliment for his side, but be in no doubt whatsoever that a wary Premier League knew exactly what he meant. So did the best teams on the continent after the Reds romped to the Champions League title in 2019. This Liverpool side did not know when they were beaten and often produced a sting in the tail when backed into a corner. Indeed, they could always find a way out and were, by some distance, Europe’s best team and perhaps one of the world’s most clinical club sides to have ever been assembled.
Relive Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona in just 60 seconds.
⚽️ 7′ Origi
⚽️ 54′ Wijnaldum
⚽️ 56′ Wijnaldum
⚽️ 79′ OrigiAnother incredible European night at Anfield.pic.twitter.com/n7BgB5GFT2
— BT Sport (@btsport) May 10, 2019
Encouragingly, there’s no need for Liverpool fans to look back on these times with a sense of nostalgia just yet though. When the 2021/2022 season gets underway, Klopp will, for the most part, have the same bunch of players that he branded ‘mentality monsters’ to select from once more.
Indeed, all of Liverpool’s players are forecast to be fit for next season despite a recent scare for Jordan Henderson. Fans can take comfort in the fact that the Liverpool captain is expected to be fit for England’s opening game in the Euros against Croatia. In fact, the latest football odds today price the Three Lions as favourites to win that game with the 30-year-old likely to be in Gareth Southgate’s starting XI for the box office clash at Wembley in mid-June.
So, it appears as though Klopp will finally have a squad with a clean bill of health come the start of the next league campaign. A good start is naturally of the utmost importance for Liverpool if they are to rediscover that sensational mentality that made them feared throughout Europe. If they are able to string a few wins together, a momentum experienced during the 2019/2020 season will begin to build. When you take into account that a packed to the rafters Anfield will be roaring Klopp’s dormant ‘mentality monsters’ on, it shouldn’t take long before they erupt back into top form.