For 38 weeks they fought and gave it everything. They held their head up high and weren’t afraid of any storm that came their way. Yet, they still didn’t get to see the golden sky.
Liverpool won 30 out of their 38 games, lost only one game, had a goal difference of +67 and in the end, a point total of 97. A tally that would have won them the league in 117 out of the last 119 seasons in English football. The only two teams that would beat this are the city teams of 2018/19 (98) and the centurions of 2017/18. This is the story of the best runner up in the history of the top 5 leagues.
The season started with so much promise after a remarkable transfer window that gave the Kop an indication of what was to come. A goalkeeper was needed after Loris Karius’ horror show in the Champions league final confirmed the open secret that that area was a problem. They went big, spent a staggering £65m on Allison, then Of AS Roma. With the earlier addition of Virgil Van Dijk a few months before, it looked like the last piece of the puzzle had been found. Nothing could possibly go wrong at that point as they showed signs of a side that had set out to win title.
Then there was that brilliant December where they won all 8 games in one of the key periods of the seasons, with very impressive hone wins against Manchester United and Arsenal.
They took a 7-point lead to the Etihad knowing that a win there could possibly be a springboard to take them all the way. City’s 2-1 win handed them their first and only defeat of the season and cut their lead to 4.It was that game that shifted the momentum to the side of the champions.
They picked themselves up from there and produced a spirited performance to end the season on a high. There were slips by Liverpool, most notably the 0-0 draws at Goodison ,Anfield vs Leicester and at Old Trafford against a very much depleted Manchester United side. Maybe those are the results they will look back on with the feeling of ‘what if’.
They walked on through the rain, the wind and the storm. They gave it all they could with the hope of a late upset that will swing it back into their favour. But it wasn’t meant to be.
Pep Guardiola once said one of his biggest challenge was convincing his treble winning sides of 2009 and the 2013 or he inherited at Bayern Munich that they needed to improve. Jurgen Klopp has the unenviable task of asking this side who amassed 97 points that they need to do even more to win the league.
Liverpool finished the season with the league’s most valuable player, the most clean sheets, 2/3 of the golden boot winners but without the most important accolade.
It will be a test of character but though their dreams may be tossed and blown, you can always trust the Kop to urge them to walk on, with hope in their heart with the dream of seeing a golden sky. With the foundations set out right and an owner fully backing the manager, they will give it a go again.
City, deserved Champions.
If we speak so well about Liverpool, then what do we say about the team that beat them go the title? It was very evident it would take something special to defeat this Liverpool side. Fortunately for City, they are that special. 14 wins in a row to end the season has laid further claim to this squad cementing their place amongst the greatest Premier league sides.
This time, they had to do it the hard way. for most of the season, they had to chase Liverpool. There were major setbacks like the losses at home to palace and away to Leicester. But they kept pushing and kept chasing. Sergio Aguero’s two hattricks in 7 days against Arsenal and in a 6-0 win against Chelsea then put them back on track and they never looked back from there. They kept pushing and pushing hard. And with every Liverpool slip, they took advantage and made it count. Eventually, one more Liverpool slip, a 0-0 draw away to Manchester United paved the way for City and put them back in control of their own destiny. There was only going to be one winner from there on.
The run-in was mixed with nervous moments like the 1-0 wins against Tottenham Hotspurs and away at Burnley -where they needed Goal line technology to allow Aguero’s solitary effort-. Then there was that thunderous effort by captain Vincent Kompany in the penultimate game of the season. One that will live in the memories of the cityzens from a long time.
In the last 2 seasons, they have recorded 198 points in total. A feat that is unprecedented and unmatched by any other side in premier league history. They might have taken the long road, but in the end, they got over the line and no one can say they don’t deserve it.
This season will go down as one of the craziest titles challenges in history. The team at the top changed a record 32 times, with these two teams leading the way. The gulf in quality between them and the rest was very evident. City will have another go next season but unlike the last, they’d go in with full knowledge that there is a challenger very capable of matching them in quality.
The Green Turf 