Liverpool 2020/2021 end of season review
A topsy turvy season that ended on an optimistic note.
Alas, the first time in 30 years Liverpool have had to defend their title has ended in abject failure. Injuries, fatigue, and a terrible home record all combined to kill off our title defence before it truly got underway. In truth I could have written this any time after February with the season done and dusted. The only questions after that point were how far we would progress in the Champions League and if we would secure 4th place. On the first question: a limp KO at the hands of Real Madrid; on the second: a shock 3rd place finish. But again, unless we won the Champions League nothing was really going to salvage what a difficult season it has been.
And yet it doesn’t bother me too much.
I think as Liverpool fans some of us have lost perspective. It is as though every defeat is a damning indictment, some unspeakable crime against humanity. Mo Salah goes from Merseyside saviour to enemy of the Kop from one week to the next. Lets call the season for what it is: a bad season exacerbated by bad luck and some poor decision-making. Rival fans will obviously cast us as failures but lets be real, is it such a failure?
Since Klopp joined we have seen some sort of progression every season. In his first full season we secured 4th place, then 4th place and a CL final, then an agonisingly close title challenge and a CL victory, and then a Premier League victory. So our league form (excluding the 2015/16 season) reads: 4th, 4th, 2nd, 1st, 3rd, which on its own is remarkable but when you factor in the football played, and the European escapades it has been a great few years - certainly the best I have experienced as a Liverpool fan. A downturn was inevitable - disappointing but not surprising. This is before you factor in the fact that we are the first Premier League winners (bar Manchester City) in a decade1 to finish in the top four after winning the league and we also finished closer to Manchester City (17 points off) than they did last season (18 points off) defending their crown.
On that note: it is worth pointing out that teams are complex systems, not just the sum of 11 players on the field. What this means is that losing a player isn’t just a loss localised to that particular position but has a cascading effect across the team. In the case of Van Dijk, his qualities meant we could play a higher line which meant we could press higher and win the ball further upfield. So losing him doesn’t just mean you are losing the best defender in the game, but losing his systemic effect. This becomes compounded when you start playing CMs at CB and can’t rotate the full-back as much as you would have liked to. (the video below explains it better than I could).
The real question is how we bounce back. With Van Dijk back, Kounate signing for us, and a longer(ish) pre-season we should be in a good position. All Champions suffer an inevitable set back, so in my head I can cope with some of the shocking displays by just writing the whole season off. But next season my expectations will be back up. I do expect to see some progress.
We have ended well, Fabinho in the midfield lets him bring his spark but also enables Thiago to shine a bit more. In recent games we have also seen some lovely chemistry between Salah, Trent, and Thiago. The way we ended was nothing short of Liverpool back to their devastating best. Slotting back in Van Dijk, a rested squad, and a good transfer window and I am very optimistic about the season to come. The Reds go marching on…
Game of the season: the 7-0 win against Palace
Worst game of the season: the obvious one is the 7-2 loss to Villa but the most painful one to me was the loss to Burnley ending our home record.
Player of the season: has to be Mohammed Salah. (Honourable mentions to Fabinho and Jota).
Player I am concerned about: Firmino, he’s lost that bobby-dazzler spark.
Moment of the season: Having fans back in the stadium.
Goal of the season: there is only one contender, Alisson Becker’s 95th minute header.
What I think we need in the window:
Some depth in defence. The conundrum as I see it is that Van Dijk elevates the back 4 so Kabak, Phillips, or even R. Williams would all perform better with his presence at the back. So a signing that brings a similar effect is crucial for me. I don’t want to pontificate on who exactly that is as I harbour some antiquated views on what defenders should do.
We need a winger to add some depth up front - maybe we already have it in the form of Harvey Elliot who had a stellar season with Rovers.
Finally, we need a Firmino replacement. I wouldn’t go for Xerox Firmino but instead a more ‘typical’ striker a-la Haaland.
Not a signing, but not letting any of our core players leave is also just as crucial. If we offloaded some deadwood i.e. Origi, Adrian, Ox, and Naby (yes he has had his time but it just hasn’t worked out) that would be a bonus.
I am very much devastated by the departure of Wijnaldum, a brutal reminder that at some point each player of this squad will leave and it wont be any easier to say goodbye.
My team of the season:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Keeper: Kasper Schmiechel
Defence: Cancelo, Dias, Fofana, Shaw
DMs: Kante, Soucek
Attackers: Lingard, KDB, Mount
Striker: Salah
Player of the season: Ruben Dias - he has been gargantuan this season and added that solidity to transform Manchester City.
Manager of the season: David Moyes. (Honourable mention to Ole and Bielsa).
Young player of the season: Mason Mount.
The best football articles/books I have read this season:
https://mundialmag.com/blogs/articles/the-importance-of-didier-drogba
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samindrakunti/2020/11/24/economist-branko-milanovic-on-inequality-in-soccer/?sh=7eeb111d9e30
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/apr/08/bayern-munich-v-psg-pure-footballing-fun-until-you-delve-beneath-thrills-champions-league
https://www.unibet.co.uk/blog/football/premier-league/duncan-alexander-the-premier-leagues-hall-of-brief-fame-1.1763532?adID=CM0000066880
https://theathletic.co.uk/2413563/2021/03/03/beware-of-boris-johnsons-world-cup/
https://theathletic.co.uk/2396993/2021/02/25/premier-league-tv-rights-has-the-bubble-burst/
https://theathletic.co.uk/2403424/2021/02/23/european-super-league-is-pure-greed-dressed-up-as-concern-for-footballs-future/
https://theathletic.co.uk/2462455/2021/03/19/serie-a-is-its-own-worst-enemy-no-wonder-theres-only-one-team-left-in-europe/
https://theathletic.co.uk/2460439/2021/03/19/interview-inside-the-mind-of-steven-gerrard/
Chelsea finished 10th and 5th in each of the seasons after they won the league most recently, Leicester finished 12th, and Manchester United finished 7th after their most recent title.