Reina, Carragher, Hyypia, Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres: the Reds’ failure to lift the title between 2007 and 2009 feels like a missed opportunity.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has admitted to Sky Sports that Liverpool could have won the Premier League during the latter stages of Rafa Benitez’s reign if they had invested further in an already-impressive squad.
Despite lifting the Champions League in the most dramatic fashion in 2005, the Merseyside giants frequently flattered to deceive in domestic competition under the Spaniard until the high-profile arrivals of Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres (below) took them to another level in 2007.
And, although United won three consecutive titles between 2007 and 2009, Neville admits he was fearful that Liverpool would pip them to the crown after building arguably their strongest squad of the Premier League era.
“With Mascherano and [Xabi] Alonso in midfield, it’s the only time in my career where I thought ‘they’re actually good here,’ the former United captain told Sky Sports.
“[Steven] Gerrard was a number 10 and Torres was up front, with [Jamie] Carragher and [Sami] Hyypia in the centre of defence and with [Pepe] Reina in goal.
“I thought ‘another signing or two here, and they’re going to win the league or they’re close’.”
A late season slump consigned a Gerrard and Torres inspired Liverpool to second place in 2008/09 despite comfortably outscoring eventual champions United.
Hopes soon dissipated along with the squad, however, with Torres joining Chelsea in an ultimately disastrous British record deal while Mascherano and Alonso (below) went from team-mates to rivals on either side of the Classico divide.
However, a remarkable sequence of performances under Jurgen Klopp at the start of the current campaign have raised hopes that the Reds can step up to the role of challengers once more after too many years falling by the wayside.
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