Liverpool FC 2018-2019 season review

This is our season! That’s the usual mantra that I have for Liverpool FC at the beginning of our season. It used to be a laughing matter in the Hodgson and Rodgers era but since Klopp took over and our steady development over the years, few rival fans would be laughing now.

After the revelation that are Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool dipped into the transfer market again immediately after that heartbreak in Kiev. What Karius did in the Champions League final was irredeemable and despite Klopp not publicly chastising him in public, we know very well that a world-class goalkeeper is needed to avoid such embarrassment in the future. So Karius was shipped out to Beşiktaş and Alisson signed from Roma for a world record fee of £66.8 for a goalkeeper (albeit for a short while before Kepa). The rest as they say is history. The number of critical saves that Alisson made had contributed to at least a dozen points for Liverpool in the league and saved the team from getting knocked out in the group stage of the Champions League. Fabinho another new signing from Monaco is rock solid in midfield, making huge contributions to Liverpool’s defence and also becoming an important link to our offensive players. Naby Keita although taking a little bit of time to shine at Anfield, scored a few goals in the league and in the run up to the Champions League final. Add Shaqiri to the list and I must say Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp made some very shrewd signings in the summer transfer window.

Like last year, Liverpool started the season really well, winning most games in the league but quickly got knocked out from the two domestic cup competitions. Although some would argue that Klopp rotated heavily and played Liverpool B in those games since he did not regard the competitions as highly as the league and Champions League. Liverpool were on top of the table during by Christmas with 7 points ahead of their title rival Man City but then headed into a short-lived but consequential drop of form and points beginning with the narrow loss at the Etihad Stadium. Liverpool did not loose another match again for the rest of the season but they did draw another 3-4 times which ultimately proved decisive for their title-challenge. Despite our best effort, City went on a 14 match winning streak to pip Liverpool to the title by just one point. Imagine if Liverpool had drawn 6 instead of 7 matches or that goal by Sadio Mane had gone in by a few more millimetres, we would have been crowned champions instead of Man City. The 97 points that Liverpool recorded this season would have won the league in the the previous 29 seasons except last year, that was how much Liverpool improved and how close the title challenge was this year.

In the Champions League, Liverpool had a mixed bag of result in the group stage. Winning all the home matches but losing all 3 away games and barely scraping through to the last 16 by winning on the final match against Napoli. While the Liverpool front three provided the important goals to progress, Alisson and Van Dijk proved to be colossal at the back, making crucial tackles and saves to get clean sheets and keep to score down. It’s in the latter stages that Liverpool finally found their rhythm and convincingly dispatched first Portuguese champions Porto before beating Germany champions Bayern Munich 3-1 in their backyard. In the semis, Liverpool was handed a mouthwatering tie against the mighty Barcelona featuring the likes of Messi, Suarez, Coutinho amongst other world class players. The teams fate looked all but sealed in the first match at Nou Camp when Messi delivered a masterclass performance, inspiring Barça to a 3-0 win while providing a brace in the match. However, mentality monsters as Klopp would call them, Liverpool would never give up so easily and presented one of the most incredible comeback since Istanbul by trashing Barça with 4 goals without reply in front of an ecstatic Anfield crowd to secure a spot in the final for the second year running.

In Madrid 3 weeks later, Liverpool had a slight advantage over first timer Spurs having had more experience since the disappointment in Kiev plus the major signings and improvement Klopp had formulated since last year. It only took Liverpool 3 minutes to get ahead when they were awarded a penalty after Sissoko handled the ball in the penalty area. Mo Salah made no mistake from 6 yards to blast in the first goal in the final. While Spurs made some relentless attack and foray into the final third, Liverpool held on thanks to a combination of excellent defending and occasional charge into Spurs’ backline. Liverpool legend, Divock Origi sealed the victory with a sweet strike to beat Lloris in the final 10 minutes of the match. Like many others Liverpool fans, I had my fair share of criticism of Jordan Henderson. His seemingly negligible contribution to the Liverpool team and the fact that he was rotated heavily in midfield despite holding the captain’s armband. However no one can deny the immense contribution he made in the run in to the final and also his tireless running and leadership in the premier league. And I daresay no Liverpool supported could hide their delight seeing Henderson lift number 6 in Madrid that historic night.

In summary, for 2018-2019, Klopp had made major improvement areas that were identified as weak spots in the team, mostly defence and some minor tweaks in midfield. Liverpool didn’t simply splash their money in the transfer market to get the most expensive player but singled out the right player with all the required attributes to shine in Klopp’s team and method and pay sometimes large amount of money required to acquire them. Alisson, Van Dijk and Fabinho are some of the names that perfectly fit this category. Klopp’s measured but methodical approach to training and matches ensured Liverpool progress from 4th place last season to 1 points from winning the league and adding number 6 to the barren trophy cabinet. Hopefully next season we would finally end our title draught in time for our 30th anniversary from last winning it. With Klopp in charge it’s certainly possible.