Every week along the way of Liverpool’s
formidable streak of winning matches in the
Premier League you could hear Jurgen Klopp
say it was of no consequence to him. He was
adamant about his indifference and swatted
away endless questions with casual disdain.
That is the modern psychology: focus
only on the next match, never on a target
in the distance, never on potential glory,
and certainly never on a place in the history
books. But Klopp was fooling nobody.
Every manager is aware of the numbers
in football. Statistics are endlessly dissected
and Klopp certainly knew the greatness of
the Liverpool figures as each week passed.
It slipped out one day when somebody
asked him about the long unbeaten run of
league matches, which had then moved into
the 40s and within sight of the English all-
time record of 49 set by Arsenal.
He responded with a reference to the last
time Liverpool had lost, a 2-1 defeat away
at Manchester City in January 2019, saying:
“We could say we were beaten because of
11millimetres [the distance that goal-line
technology showed how close a shot by Sadio
Mane was to crossing the line]. It was a really
tight game, so imagine if we had drawn that
day. I don’t know what the number would be
of how many games we didn’t lose.”
Eleven millimetres is a tiny fraction of
distance. Klopp knew its significance all right,
and he wanted the world to know too. Without
that 11mm Liverpool’s unbeaten run would
have been 66 league games before it ended
with a 3-0 defeat away to Watford.
In the event, the sequence was one defeat
in 66 games: a feat that no club has everachieved in a major European league.
“I have never heard of anything like it,” said
Klopp, and he was correct. This figure should
be an impossibility in a sport as demanding
and competitive as elite football.
Let’s put this into context. Manchester City
lost three matches in 38 to win the Premier
League last season. Bayern Munich lost four
in 34 to clinch the Bundesliga and Juventus
lost four in 38 to capture Serie A. One defeatin 66 is unparalleled consistency. So is
another Liverpool statistic: winning 26
of the opening 27 league matches this
term, and drawing the other.
When the magic run ended on a bitterly
cold night at Watford it was followed by
another loss in the FA Cup as Klopp rested
half of his regular side.
A reaction was bound to occur. But that
does not diminish the achievement of the
Liverpool team of 2018-20. Their greatness is
unimpeachable.
Jan Molby,
who played in
the last Liverpool
side to win the
English top flight
title, in 1990, is convinced of that, saying:
“This team will go down in history, not just as
a great Liverpool team but in the big scheme
of things as one of the best football teams we
have ever seen. I have no doubt about that.”
Klopp’s Liverpool may not be the most
beautiful side, although they have their
moments of coruscating style, but they are
endlessly entertaining. They are spectacular,
they are imposing, they are dynamic and
they are intelligent.
There is authority through
the spine of the team, from
goalkeeper Alisson to defensive
colossus Virgil Van Dijk and
their noisy, robust captain
Jordan Henderson.
There is creativity from
Roberto Firmino and the
artful pair of full-backs Trent
Alexander-Arnold and Andy
Robertson. There is panache
from Mo Salah and Mane.
There is also another vital
ingredient in the mix: the
emotional bond between the
team and their supporters
which has been cleverly
cultivated by Klopp.
You sense it most surely after
matches, when the crowd does
not leave Anfield at the final
whistle. Instead, they stay in
their places in every part of the
stadium to savour the mood
and magic of a unique period.
They know their football at
Liverpool. They know they are
witnessing a special moment
in time.This Liverpool deserve their place in the history books
Jim
HOLDEN
AT THE HEART OF THE GAMEGLOBAL FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE
One defeat in 66 games is a feat
that no club has ever achieved
in a major European league
Worth celebrating...Liverpool are closing in on their first league championship for 30 years