110 From 114: Klopp’s Peak

ARTICLE BY MATTY

How can one determine the greatest team of all time? The easiest answer would be to look at the points total of a league winner, for starters. Liverpool’s 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons stand out with 97 and 99 points achieved in back-to-back seasons, the latter season providing the long-awaited Premier League title to end a 30-year drought and reestablish Liverpool as being firmly back on their perch. Yet neither of those teams have quite as many points as Manchester City’s Centurions, the 2017/18 league winners. Of course, for those who watch football purely for aesthetics and are perhaps fooled by biased media coverage, they would have you believe that City played the most beautiful football of all time, assuredly making them the greatest team ever. But what makes a true champion? A team expensively assembled to play a certain way and then does what is expected? Or a team carefully crafted over a number of years whose hallmark was versatility and aggression, built to win in a number of different ways, capable of late winners or utter domination, set pieces and open play, possession football or devastating counter attacks, attacking football or defensive football. Klopp’s team could win any game, react to any challenge and overcome it through sheer will.

There’s one more thing, however, which tips the scales further in Liverpool’s favor. There’s an idea of a rolling 38-game period, where one counts the points scored in any 38-game stretch in Premier League history rather than just the total points from a season. While it doesn’t quite include playing every team twice, it is more accurate in showing the absolute peak of a team. During a stretch of 38 PL games from February 27th of 2019 to February 24th of 2020, Liverpool took 110 of a possible 114 points, smashing the record previously set by Mourinho’s Chelsea. A record so dominant, I doubt any team will ever achieve again. 36 wins, 2 draws, zero losses in a 38-game span of Premier League games. By this standard, this particular Liverpool team under Klopp were the most dominant Premier League team ever. We also won a Champions League final right in the middle of that run, plus a UEFA Super Cup and a Club World Cup. In the doldrums of summer, as the World Cup starts to reach its conclusion, let’s look back at the most dominant Premier League team of all time.

I’ve wanted to write an article about certain aspects of building a squad and I think this particular Liverpool team is a prime example. They started this run in the back end of a season in which they’d made significant additions to the team in order to essentially complete a rebuild that started with the purchase of Sadio Mane. The last pieces of the puzzle came to the club in the summer of 2018. Fabinho was signed to be an upgrade over the departing Emre Can, to provide a defensive midfielder who could protect the back four and also provide more dominance in possession. Alisson was the biggest signing, rectifying the goalkeeper position to this very day as one of the best in the world from the moment he was signed. Naby Keita was expected to provide more flair and attacking ability to a midfield full of hard work and perceived to be short of technical quality. Lastly, a Michael Edwards special of signing a player at a reduced price from a relegated Premier League club. In 2016, it was Gini Wijnaldum. In 2017, it was Andy Robertson. In 2018, it was Xherdan Shaqiri for a cool £13 million. Then, after the 97-point season and a Champions League victory, Liverpool were much more quiet, only swapping out Simon Mignolet for Adrian as the backup goalkeeper. It proved to quickly be a shrewd signing, as Adrian stepped in admirably for Alisson during the beginning of the 2019/20 season, culminating in a penalty shootout win over Chelsea to win the UEFA Super Cup. Takumi Minamino would be added in January at a cut rate price, but really didn’t feature much in the 2019/20 season after signing.

One of the points I’d like to make is that this wasn’t the best squad that Klopp would ever have his hands on. For my money that would be the 2021/22 season, when players like Diogo Jota, Thiago, Luis Diaz and Ibou Konate joined the club and bolstered the depth in the squad significantly. Yet, by points and trophies, undoubtedly the Liverpool squad that was practically unchanged between 2018 and 2020 was the best of the Klopp era. Even with seemingly less talent, how was this squad the best? I’m first reminded of Klopp’s golden rule when it came to building a squad: no assholes. Character mattered greatly to Klopp, and I tend to think this group had a particular type of character. There was a determination about this group. To win no matter what it took or who was playing. Shaqiri and Divock Origi had significant moments in both the Premier League and Champions League. James Milner was the penalty taker more often than not. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain played no less than five different positions, as did Milner. 2019/20 was probably the finest season of Ox’s Liverpool career.

On paper, perhaps the talent paled in comparison to future years, or even in comparison to a City team with Riyad Mahrez and Rodri on their bench at the time. But these guys almost always found a way to win. Like Adam Lallana coming on against United to secure a point at Old Trafford. Or Fabinho scoring a rocket against City. Or Robertson and Mane rescuing a win against Villa. Or Shaqiri the previous season scoring twice to beat United at Old Trafford. Origi making Pickford look like an idiot three times over. I guess my point is that there’s a lot that goes on at a club that isn’t quantified by stats or written on paper. It was a smaller, tight-knit squad with versatile players. We practically went an entire season without backup fullbacks because Milner was the backup. Or Joe Gomez could spell Trent and get Raheem Sterling mad enough to assault Gomez at England training. Oxlade-Chamberlain ended up being a nice backup for everyone in the front three and midfield. Adam Lallana transitioned into being a backup defensive midfielder. Part of the benefit of a smaller squad is that the players inevitably grow closer to each other, and players are happy because they’re regularly playing. This was a group of players who played for each other, performed whatever task was required of them, and worked together to achieve greatness unlike anything the league had ever seen before.

One thing that Liverpool accomplished during this time that hasn’t quite been seen before or since: true defensive solidity. I remember watching Robertson’s farewell interview and he commented on how Liverpool could bring on Milner and Gomez and completely shut games down after the 70th minute. There were a lot of wins in that 38-game period involving clean sheets. Some of the more memorable wins would’ve been 4-0 against Leicester at Boxing Day, with Milner scoring a penalty and Trent scoring a worldie, or 4-0 against Crystal Palace with a rocket from Fabinho and a fabulous free kick from Trent. Or how about 2-0 against United, Alisson running the length of the field to embrace Salah? 4-0 against Southampton, including a goal from Jordan Henderson that required four passes from Alisson to the back of the opposition net. The point is, the easiest way to win is to not concede, and Liverpool’s defense during this time was an absolute fortress.

It’s also easier to win when you score goals, and Liverpool were excellent at that as well during this 110-point stretch of games. Against Brighton, for example, the difference was two headed goals off corner kicks, both scored by Virgil van Dijk. Or how about those two majestic crosses from our fullbacks which led to Salah scoring to make it 2-0 against City? The point is that Liverpool had many different ways to score goals. Set pieces, open play, fullbacks crossing in from the flanks, Virgil and Alisson pinging passes from the back to Salah or Firmino. Liverpool were relentless in their desire to win, and it showed with both their attacking and defensive play. 5-2 against Everton was entertaining. Origi twice, with Shaqiri, Mane and Wijnaldum all scoring as well. Teams just couldn’t handle the speed, desire, and technical ability. Even when teams were playing at their best, like the last game of this remarkable run when West Ham were winning 2-1, Liverpool found a way. They first led off of a headed goal from Wijnaldum, and then Salah and Mane finished them off. The win was Liverpool’s 18th consecutive win of the 2019/20 season, matching the record set by City.

Some might call it cherry-picking, but regardless it’s insane that a team won 36 out of 38 Premier League games. 110 from 114 points should perhaps be more remembered as part of Klopp’s legacy. That in relatively short order, from pieces that would be upgraded upon in future years, he still produced the most dominant Premier League team ever seen. Sometimes putting a team together isn’t simply getting the most talent and then trying to make it fit. Rather, it’s a more delicate process, requiring thought and an emphasis on both character and selflessness. Everybody on this team put in their best work, and that’s why they ended up being as dominant as they were. As we enter a new era of Liverpool football, let’s hope it’s nearly as dominant as the best team the Premier League ever saw, our own Liverpool team of 2018-2020 under Jurgen Klopp.