So it’s sealed; nineteen titles, nineteen years in the making. A solitary point separated Manchester United from tearing up the record books set by Liverpool over twenty years ago and snatching away one of the few things the reds of Merseyside hold over the reds of Lancashire. Success in Europe aside, one of the things Liverpool have had to boast about since the inception of the Premier League was that they were easily the most successful League side of all time in English football, and since the titles have dried up – currently standing at twenty years and counting – Sir Alex’s Manchester United side have gobbled up the championships in their stead.
Liverpool fans can’t deny it, Man United have been exceptionally good over the last twenty years. An admission that hurts even me to say, being an ardent Leeds United fan; I certainly don’t like Man United, but I certainly hold a great deal of respect for them. Sir Alex has done exceptionally well at adapting and metamorphasizing his sides throughout the years, coming up with something fresh and continuing his dynasty where much like Midas himself, everything seems to turn into gold. For example, after the treble winning year of 1999, the following seasons saw some of his players departing, and he simply replaced very good players with just as good players.
The same being true after the double of 2008, with the loss of arguably one of the world’s best (and most arrogant) players, he’s managed to turn it around and construct a championship winning side capable of taking on the best and winning, the only hindrance being a slight case of homesickness when they so much as set foot outside of Old Trafford. The evidence suggests that he has one more ace up his sleeve before the big guy finally retires and hands down the throne to someone else (probably Mourhino).
So the obvious question that needs to be answered by Liverpool FC and its affiliates is how do we equal it all up again and get to twenty before Man United? In all intents and purposes Liverpool haven’t really been serious consistent title challengers since the late 80’s, under the stewardship of one Kenny Dalglish, what a co-inkydink! With this resurgence in form under the newly reinstated King Kenny, Liverpool look like a side capable of challenging for domestic honours again. For a team tipped to not even qualify for Europe midway through the season, to be in the hunt for Europa League competition again is an incredible achievement.
Another point to consider is that for Liverpool to attain that European competition next season would be ideal for the club, an investment if you will. Dalglish and his predecessor Hodgson have both used the Europa League in a very coy fashion this year, using the quality of their opponents to milk through the young players such as Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing. The promise these young players hold could be alluded to Ferguson bleeding through his Golden Generation of players, time will only tell if they can come close to matching their contemporaries, however the potential is most certainly there.
CLICK HERE TO HEAD TO PAGE TWO.
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.
To have a peak at the top SEVEN available FREE TRANSFERS this summer, click here.