Historical dominance of Liverpool
February 22, 2020
When you think of historically dominant teams over the last decade, most people will think of the 16-0 New England Patriots, the record-breaking Golden State Warriors in 2015, and the dominant World Series Champions Astros in 2017. All of these teams were highly respected during their seasons, not only within their respective sport but throughout the sports world.
Interestingly enough, the most dominant team in the sports world right now is not from the NBA, NFL or MLB but from the English Premier League (EPL), Liverpool F.C. The EPL is the top-flight soccer league in the United Kingdom and according to market data from Deloitte, the Premier League generated revenue of €5.4 billion during the 2017/2018 season. It’s known to be one of the most competitive leagues in European soccer, containing some of the highest regarded clubs in the world. Over the last year and a half, “The Reds” have dominated English soccer.
Currently Liverpool sits at the top of the EPL table with 76 points and boasts a record of 25 wins, 1 draw, and 0 losses. They are currently undefeated in 37 games, which is the third-longest streak in the competition’s history. Along with this astonishing record, they have captured the 2019 Champions League title as well as the FIFA Club World Cup title.
The club is located in the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England and has historically been a strong side over the last 50 years and really established itself as a major force in English and European Soccer during the 70’s and 80’s. During this era, Liverpool won 11 league titles as well as four European cup championships.
Going forward, they captured another European Championship in 2005 for the fifth time in the club’s history. They continued this success up until the 2008-09 season when they finished as runner’s up to the EPL title. After these years of success, Liverpool began to experience a turbulent era within their club’s history. The main turning point was during the 2009-10 season when Liverpool finished seventh in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League. This led to the departure of their coach Rafael Benítez. After this season, the Club Creditors asked the High Court to allow the sale of their club, overruling the current owners of the club, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Over the following years, Liverpool experienced years of inconsistencies with multiple managers being fired and replaced.
After a stretch of lackluster results, the true critical moment leading to Liverpool’s dominance over the last year and a half was when Jurgen Klopp was appointed as manager in the 2016 season. Over the next three years, Klopp began producing the magic. Liverpool returned to the Champions League after qualifying for the competition during the 2016-17 Premier League season. Klopp continually developed the talent of Liverpool and his stars started to shine. They went on to have an extremely competitive campaign in the Champions League, only to end up losing in the 2018 Champions League Final.
The following year the Reds had one of the hottest starts to the Premier League season in club history, recording a victory in each of their first six matches. Most notably, their defense engineered a key part of this transition with the likes of former Hull City left back Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold becoming regular starters and the strong partnership developed between center backs Virgil van Dijk and Dejan Lovren. Their attack was considered one of the most feared in Europe, with leading goal-scorer Mohammed Salah teaming up with Senegalese winger Sadio Mané and Brazilian international Roberto Firmino. During the previous summer, they further developed their defense with the addition of Brazilian goalkeeper Allison. This eluded to great success, and they avenged their previous season’s Champions League final defeat by coming out victorious in the 2019 Champions League Final in Madrid. During the 2018-19 English Premier League, they finished with 97 points, tallying nine wins in a row to end the season and only recording one defeat during the entire year. Although they finished as runner’s up to Manchester City, their only defeat during that season.
While they have garnered some unbelievable results after the hiring of Klopp, their most impressive season by far is currently unfolding in the Premier League during this season. Continuing the momentum of their previous season, Liverpool started off the year winning their first six matches which granted them the top position of the league table. Success has continued to fuel the Merseyside squad as they have smashed their club record of 31 consecutive league matches unbeaten. Currently, they have increased their undefeated tally to 37 consecutive matches and they sit 22 points clear of the current second-place team in the Premier League.
The season concludes in mid-May but Liverpool has already seemed to wrap up the competition in February. They have conceded only 15 goals in the Premier League this season and have tallied a total of 61 goals for their side this season. Barring any obscene events, Liverpool has likely locked up the Premier League title and are trending towards breaking some impressive records along the way. Their Champions League campaign has been just as impressive, they dominated their competition in the group stages granting themselves a first-place finish in their respective group. Currently, there is not a sports team that is as dominant as this Liverpool side. The numbers alone speak for themselves. Over the next couple weeks, sports enthusiasts should look forward to historical achievements being reached by this dominate Liverpool squad as they finish up the Premier League season and continue their Champions League campaign.
