Liverpool FC is a club rich in football success and history. They were the most successful English club for such a long time and fans grew up dreaming of the good old days whilst rival teams plotted overcoming their records. Sir Alex Ferguson famously said that his greatest achievement would be knocking them “off their f***ing perch” and that he did. Fans of the red half of Merseyside could only watch on as their lead at the top of English football slowly faded and they eventually lost the top spot to their fierce rivals Manchester United.

All that is in the past now though. Everyone associated with LFC now believe in this team and this manager and the heights they can reach after finally securing their 6th European title despite losing to Real Madrid in the same final a year ago. With the run of results they had this season, beating Barcelona in a superb performance at Anfield and also losing one game all season in the league, not many would bet against this team to be one of the most formidable forces in football for years to come. 

This is not the first time though that Liverpool have tasted European success since their title drought started, nor is it the first time they have gotten so close to ending the wait for their 19th domestic league crown. There was plenty of hope back in 2005, where the ‘spirit of Istanbul’ was birthed when Gerrard and Co famously nullified a 3 goal deficit from the first half to beat AC Milan on penalties. Fans were rightfully ecstatic, with calls that the next season would be the season where they end their wait since they had only managed to finish 5th that season but could unfortunately only muster a 3rd placed finish the next.

They had also gone close to ending the wait in 2014, when they had gone agonizingly close to winning the league only for the infamous Gerard slip in the 2-0 loss at Chelsea coupled with a 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace when they were leading by 3 goals to lose them the title to Manchester City.  

With all this in mind, it would naturally be surprising that Liverpool fans are not at least apprehensive about where they go from this high. It is granted that the above 2 examples are from very different seasons but the belief was just as strong those 2 previous times. So what has changed? 

Well for one thing, Jurgen Klopp has brought together a squad that is both as young as it is talented. It is no coincidence that this team has not only won the Champions League this term but also had their keeper Alisson win the Golden Glove, 4 players in the PFA Team of the Year which includes arguably the best centre back in the world Virgil van Dijk and also keep the title run-in till the last day of the season. The confidence from the fans in this team stems just as much from Klopp as it does in the team though. 

Klopp had lost his last 6 cup finals before the most recent win over Tottenham, having put it down to bad luck. Luck was on his side this time however, with Liverpool earning a penalty within 30 seconds of the kick-off in Madrid. The rest of the game was tepid, with Tottenham having the majority of possession but unable to find any meaningful insight into the Liverpool goal. The game looked destined to end 1-0 till Divock Origi stepped up to fire past Hugo Lloris with a few minutes of normal time remaining to confirm Liverpool’s 6th European crown. Klopp is such a force within the dressing room that the players all gravitate towards him which has created a culture of harmony, a key element to any successful side. Captain Jordan Henderson was full of praise for Klopp after the trophy presentation in Madrid, talking about how he has made the players better whilst creating such a “togetherness” in such a “special dressing room”.

Already there is rumor that Liverpool will offer Klopp a contract extension to hold on to him past the current 2022 contract. If recent history is anything to go by, it would be unwise to do any of the sort whilst on a high. Still, with the team he has built in the last 4 years, it could very well be the wisest decision that Liverpool has made in recent times.