Liverpool had been confirmed champions but hadn’t even lifted their Premier League trophy before some observers started looking for signs of their demise next season.
A 4-0 defeat at Manchester City fanned the flames of that overreaction, near the end of a season where Liverpool won the league by a staggering 18 points.
We’ve picked out three reasons the nay-sayers are wrong and Liverpool will be back-to-back champions.
Defensive solidity
Liverpool had three of the Premier League’s outstanding defenders last season, and Joe Gomez developed well too.
City have signed Nathan Ake – which is slightly surprising given he is a left-footed centre half and they already have Aymeric Laporte – but they still have problems.
Left back remains an area of concern for City, while Liverpool have Andy Robertson and have completed the signing of backup Kostas Tsimikas with a minimum of fuss.
City’s style of play doesn’t work if they’re as open at the back as they were last season; it felt like a throwback to Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge, where they finished fourth. They’ve got a lot of work to do to get to Liverpool’s level.
Squad age profile
City rely heavily on veterans Fernandinho and Sergio Aguero, while David Silva’s retirement will leave a gaping hole. Vincent Kompany is also yet to be replaced.
Liverpool’s players are overwhelmingly around a better age range – mid 20s – in terms of building lasting success.
They have now won both the Champions League and the Premier League, and have a squad at the right age to build on that success.
Their progression looks more straight-forward than City’s.
The current gap is huge
It’s worth repeating the point about that 18-point gap.
Pre-lockdown, Liverpool turned the Premier League into a procession and the gap City have to close shouldn’t be understated.
Liverpool slackened off after the title was sealed, but it would be foolish to read too much into that; football without fans has been flat at times for all clubs, so it’s understandable that the Reds eased up slightly with nothing on the line.
They’ll be ready to go again when next season starts and it’s up to City to keep pace. It’s a very tough ask.
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