It was a wait that lasted 30 years – and was delayed even further due to the global pandemic.
It was a weight that must’ve felt like 30 tons, after watching its rivals at the top of the table add to their trophy cases and having suffered crushing defeats over the years.
Yes, it finally happened: Liverpool is the champion of the Premier League.
Liverpool’s biggest threat to the Premier League title was actually the coronavirus, which should underscore just how dominant of a title win this has been.
In every facet of the game, Liverpool has been fantastic. Jurgen Klopp has put on a masterclass as a manager – both emotionally, in motivating his men to press on defence even towards the ends of sure wins, and tactically, in the way that his team has setup and dealt with rotation. He has built a team with depth in every key spot and without anyone complaining about their playing time.
He has established a winning culture and finally has a league title to show for it.
After losing just one game last season and still somehow falling short of the championship to Man City, the Reds came back just as strong, but this time have no rival stepping up in the way that the Sky Blues did in 2018-19. In fact, the side with the next fewest losses is Wolves at six. After that, Man City, Leicester, Man United and Arsenal have all lost eight.
The big question now is one that haunts many of the great teams in sports: How do you follow this?
The Disease of More is a concept that often affects championship teams. After players have sacrificed for the greater good of the team and won it all, it’s common for those in smaller roles to want more recognition and playing time while the stars often look for more personal achievements.
If there was ever a manager and a team capable of dealing with this, it’s the current Liverpool squad. But what the future holds, nobody knows.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
When you look at the list of the league’s top scorers, there are a bunch of names you’d expect to see: Jamie Vardy, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, etc.
But among them is a player that had been cast off by Liverpool after a terrible run of injuries and found himself at Southampton as a bit of a reclamation project. That player is Danny Ings and he has the second most goals in the league with 18 after bagging a brace against Watford.
After playing just 602 minutes during his tenure with the Reds, which included a loan spell on the South coast, Ings started to find his footing last season before stepping up to be better than ever this season.
If Ings should pass Vardy, who is currently one goal ahead of him, and capture the Golden Boot, it would be perhaps the most unlikely win there has ever been. And in a year that has been as crazy as this one has, you can never rule it out.
SO, NOW WHAT?
Just because the league has been wrapped up, doesn’t mean there’s nothing left to play for in the final weeks of the season.
There’s plenty at stake in the race for the Champions League – and that’s not even trying to figure out whether or not Man City will be eligible for next season. The poison chalice known as Europa League play is also very much unsettled.
And then there’s the relegation battle, where four teams are just a point apart heading into Wednesday’s play and two will be sent down along with poor Norwich.
Individually, the Golden Boot should be a thrilling and interesting race.
There’s also the FA Cup still going on, with the semifinals featuring Man United vs. Chelsea and Arsenal vs. Man City. The final is set for August 1, which is usually about the time when we start gearing up for next season.
And, with the matches coming at a sprinter’s pace, there will be a lot of excitement in short order.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
After watching David Luiz attempt to play defence this season, you would’ve assumed that Arsenal would’ve been happy to let the Brazilian walk after his contract expires. Instead, the Gunners, for some reason, decided to give him a one-year extension. I know, I’m as befuddled as you are … In a move that has been literally more than a year in the making, Bayern Munich has confirmed that it will sign Man City’s Leroy Sane when the transfer window opens. The winger has long wanted to join the German powerhouse and he finally gets his wish … The video circulating of Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti not even knowing who Luke Garbutt, his own player, was is pretty hilarious. Perhaps that explains why the Toffees have let the defender’s contract expire … Sergio Aguero has been ruled out for four weeks, which essentially ends his season. This should give Gabriel Jesus a big opportunity to earn a bigger role next season, or, you know, manager Pep Guardiola could play Ilkay Gundogan was a false 9 just to screw with everyone’s fantasy teams.
THE LAST WORD
We’re getting a pretty good idea of just how good Manchester United could be with all of its pieces finally healthy.
In the past two league games, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been able to start Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba – along with Mason Greenwood for a little taste of the future.
The results have been great, with Martial netting the Red Devils’ first Premier League hat trick since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Of course, the competition hasn’t exactly been top-shelf, facing relegation-battling Brighton and a Sheffield United side without keeper Dean Henderson, who is with the Blades on loan from United.
But to see a midfield with both Fernandes and Pogba capable of unlocking defences is something this side has lacked for some time.
And, with money always available to spend at Old Trafford, we could see even more talent make its way to the red side of Manchester when the transfer window opens, too.