19 : Elements of Liverpool's title-winning campaign

1. Change: 8^th October 2015 is as important as 25^th June 2020 in the lustrous history of Liverpool football club. It marked the beginning of the end of a curse that had cast a shadow on everyone associated with the institution. That day, the Kop had welcomed Jurgen Klopp to his new home.

2.       History: The trophy cabinets, although a reminder to a glorious past, had, unfortunately, become our coping mechanism. Such had been the devastation from under-performing. So much of Liverpool Football Club had been about its history that it needed someone to finally tell us to get rid of that backpack and unburden ourselves. Only then, could we look forward, together.

3.       Patience: When the wheels have been set in motion, it takes time to pick up speed. For a football team to function as seamlessly on the pitch as the top sides do, there needs to be a right balance struck at every aspect of game management imaginable, most of which are controlled behind the scenes. ‘Please give us the time’, the manager had requested on his very first day.

4.     Doubters: Most of the Liverpool supporters perhaps remember a home defeat against a Crystal Palace side that scored late to clinch a result. This had become a normal course for supporters over the years who took the cue to head towards the exit gates. The manager has since more than once lamented feeling alone in that moment. The thread that united the club and its fans needed repair.

5.       Hope: Late goals have been a regular in match-day agendas during Klopp’s Anfield regime. It had all started post a late equalizer versus West Brom in a premature bow to the Kop that raised many eyebrows. Fast forward a few years and the same routine replicated itself into a symbol of unification and appreciation of its loyal fan base on unforgettable European nights, most recently, Barcelona. Togetherness thrived and in the fever-pitched rumbles that sent ripples down the waters of the Mersey, something special brewed.

6.       Style: The much-anticipated brand of ‘heavy metal’ football arrived but at the cost of multiple injuries. Players were just not able to keep up for an entire season with their weary bodies succumbing to the demands of the system. However, the style was never thrust down the throats of this team. Instead, it evolved over time, both in personnel and in the manner of execution.

7.       Identity: In the modern game, with the advancement of technology, a certain style only remains successful for a time before an opponent finds a way around it. Over the years, especially after Buvac’s departure, Liverpool seemed to have found their identity. As described appropriately by Barney Ronay at the Guardian, in this team, full-backs are attackers, midfielders are defenders, wingers score goals while forwards chase and press.

8.       Personnel: With Michael Edwards appointed as Sporting Director, acquisitions like Sadio Mane Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Alisson pinpointed the accuracy of the data collected before the green signal was given to the deals. Andrew Robertson, Fabinho and the likes arrived not as panic buys but because they would be ideal fits to a well-defined system.  Last night, these players along with their teammates had just registered their names into the club’s folklore.

 9.       Training:  Jurgen Klopp is not just about his charismatic persona in public. Behind the smiles and the bear hugs that he dishes out, there is a football brain far sharper than his peers and a mind that is as meticulous in its approach towards perfection. From day one, the manager had highlighted that the training ground is to be his canvas for perfecting everything we see on the pitch. Liverpool’s discipline and their sustenance of gruelling training regimes have proved pivotal in their recent success.

10.   Leaders: Ever since the departure of Vincent Kompany, Manchester City have lacked quite a bit in leadership when the situation demanded. Liverpool, however, have been blessed with the presence of strong characters in the dressing room; Individuals who the manager could delegate internal matters within the squad and players could look up to. The presence of club captain Jordan Henderson, Vice-captain James Milner, and eventual arrivals of Wijnaldum and Van Dijk has provided voices that the players identified with and followed unanimously.

11.   Mentality: The ‘never say die’ characteristic of the Germans was strung into Liverpool’s DNA since Klopp took over. This group of players believed anything was possible until the final whistle blew. Eventually, slender 1-0 margins that would have resulted in draws in previous seasons were protected, sometimes in not so pretty ways; 1-1 scorelines became 2-1 in their favour in the fag-end of matches. Grinding out victories have always been an essential trait of would-be champions. Liverpool did it consistently over the past two seasons. Slowly, but steadily, they had evolved into the ‘Mentality monsters’ their manager rightly labelled them.

12.   Believers: ‘We have to change from doubters to believers. Now.’ Jurgen Klopp’s message to his supporters was clear on the first day itself. He wanted players, the coaching team, recruitment personnel, staff working at Melwood, and the fans to function as a single entity. A family. Visionaries over time have always been doubted and frowned upon, initially. They see the world with a different set of eyes, ahead of their times. Going back to the supporters who headed out of the Crystal Palace game prematurely, it would be the last time Liverpool would lose a Premier League game at Anfield till date. These days, as the clock ticks towards the end, the raucous in the stadium is proof enough of a transformation. This Liverpool has learnt to believe.

13.   Rise: Not everything works according to plan in the road to success. From 2015-2018, Liverpool contested 3 cup finals losing all of them. While history has records of many teams, including the Reds themselves, falling further down the line after contesting for top prizes, this group was relentless in their pursuit of glory. Like a boxer rising up from a knockout punch, Liverpool came back stronger each time they failed.

14.   Anticipation: Thirty years of not winning the Premier league had given enough reason for fans to speak with caution even when there was a considerable possibility. Nobody wanted to jinx it anymore. But all of that broke loose at Anfield during Manchester United’s visit this season. Liverpool won 2-0, courtesy of a late Salah goal that provoked relentless celebrations at the Kop. And for the first time, the jubilation was characterized by ‘We are going to win the league, and now you are going to believe us’. Remember, these fans had gone through a lot of hurt in the past but this time there was a certainty laden in the course of the campaign, of overcoming a river’s fear of becoming the ocean, of finally climbing up the top of the mountain, and staying there.

15.   Success: Liverpool won the Champions League title in 2019 and finished runners-up behind Manchester City in the Premier League to cap off a stellar season. Trophies followed in the shape of the Uefa Super cup and the Club World Cup. The squad was slowly getting the feel of being consistent winners and they seemed to cherish it.

16.   Coronavirus: Twenty-five points clear at the top of the table in the current campaign with nine match-days remaining, the Coronavirus pandemic struck halting Liverpool’s impending coronation as Premier League Champions. Dark clouds had gathered over the possibility of finishing the season. It would be the ultimate nail in the coffin of a belief that had slowly crawled itself out of the closet and into the faces of thousands of expectant supporters.

17.   Back on the perch: Following Coelho’s saying that if you truly want something with all your heart, the universe conspires to make you achieve it, the season wasn’t declared null and void. It started after a gap of a hundred days and Liverpool only needed a week more to wrap up the title. Alex Ferguson had famously talked of knocking Liverpool off their perch all those years ago and knock he did. But this was Nature balancing itself and its cycle of time coming back to where it originally started. Liverpool were back on their perch. When you truly deserve something, not even a pandemic can stop you.

18.   Celebration:  The euphoria spread like wildfire across the world. The World and European champions were now champions of England too. Streets that looked deserted amid the pandemic were full of people engaged in joyous celebration. The relief was evident. The sky had retained the remnants of the last bits of early morning smoke from those red flares that burned bright. The fabled stadium today sits alone in anticipation of its faithful fans to return when it is deemed safe. The blades of Anfield grass bear witness to the roar from the top tiers that echoes itself against the spine leading to goosebumps. Anfield is again the home of the champions, after all.

19.   You will never walk alone: ‘At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky.’ The poignant tale of the last thirty years had come to an end. It is time to begin a new era soaked in the Merseyside sunshine. This victory is for those who never lived to see the day; to the ones whose ashes reside in the Kop. They remain together with us, more than ever on this day when we could finally smile. ‘You will never walk alone’, as the club’s famous anthem famously reminds. A victory parade awaits. But, until then, the celebrations will continue with the characteristic champagne football promoting a way of life that’s perpetually integral to the club and its ever-dreaming fan base. The Phoenix has finally risen from its ashes. The Liverpool Way.