I have never before written that in a blog post because I haven't been able to.
The last time that Liverpool won the league was back in 1990. In 1990, I was 11 years old, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister of the UK, the first Gulf War hadn't happened, virtually nobody had the internet, and Rupert Murdoch and Alan Sugar hadn't yet bought football's soul before selling back the husk to the fans for millions of pounds.
If there ever was an object lesson in patience, then Liverpool fans are it. We have seen many false dawns, I have written many annual pieces on when to write off the league, and even when Liverpool had stretched out a 25 point margin that still wasn't enough to make anything sure at all. Having previously been on track to win the league on the earliest date in a league season, the arrival of COVID-19 meant that all of that could have come to naught but instead with football being resumed, Liverpool now have the honour of winning the league on the latest date ever.
I think that it is fair to say that although this particular Liverpool side has some very good players, it is still not made up of the absolute stellar tier. There are better strikers than Mo Salah, there are better midfielders than Jordan Henderson, and there are better defenders than Virgil van Dijk. A great deal of the reason why this team has won the league is because of Jurgen Klopp who has somehow managed to capture lightning in a bottle.
Jurgen Klopp isn't like previous managers who have won the league for Liverpool like Kenny Dalgleish, Joe Fagan or Bob Paisley, but rather he is more of the ilk of Shankly. Klopp gives the impression in interviews that he does the job, not because he necessarily wants to win titles but because he genuinely loves watching football. Even during this week when asked what he thought about Manchester City playing Chelsea he said: "I like to watch them play because they play attractive football. We aren't them and we don't play like them but they are fun to watch." I know that it is very easy to make those kinds of statements when you are winning but he has been at Liverpool for five years and even when the team has failed on the pitch, he still gives the impression that he thinks that he has one of the best jobs in the world because he is up close to watch football.
Earlier in the week, Liverpool comprehensively beat Crystal Palace 4-0, in a match in which they displayed why they are now league champion. Each of the four goals was like finding a new way to tear apart a Christmas present; and the third goal by Fabinho was as if he had fired a rocket.
The final drop of water which broke the dam was a sending off of Fernandinho in the 77th minute of the Chelsea v Manchester City game. Willian converted the subsequent penalty and as the referee blew for full time, it then became mathematically impossible for Manchester City to win the league. Such is often the way with a league, the results which actually close out a result happen somewhere else.
Having said that though, Liverpool have to date this season won 28 games and might be still on track to set two new league records: both for the number of wins in a season and the number of points.
Maybe there is another drop of irony that when Liverpool travel to the City of Manchester Stadium against City which is the next fixture for them, it will be behind closed doors due to COVID-19 and so there isn't really a way for the fans to celebrate in person.
Of course, the final word probably should go to the architect of all of this, Jurgen Klopp:
"Knowing how much Kenny supported us, you've had to wait another 30 years for your club to win it. It's also for Stevie"— The Sack Race (@thesackrace) June 25, 2020
Jurgen Klopp in tears as Liverpool are crowned champions... 🥲#LFC pic.twitter.com/hGObnOOhgA
I hope I don't have to wait another 30 years for another league title.
On the base of the statue of Bill Shankly which stands out the front of Anfield there is a statement "He made the people happy." I think that's about the highest complement that you can pay a manager and the players and today, Jurgen Klopp has again done that; with the help of a team of reds.
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