As the year comes to a close, Matt Ladson from This Is Anfield brings us 10 Reds-themed conclusions from the last 12 months
1. Klopp can coach a defence
Liverpool conceded 23 goals in the first half of last season - considerably more than Manchester City (12), Tottenham (18), Manchester United (14), Chelsea (14) and even Burnley (15). Some feared that, while Klopp could coach his team to attack, he couldn't do the same at the other end.
That criticism is no longer valid, however: the Reds' backline has been breached just seven times in their first 19 matches of 2018/19. They are on course to concede just 14 goals this term, which would beat Chelsea's record of 15 in 2004/05.
The signings of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson have helped to shore up a previously fragile defence, but Klopp had already made improvements to the team's structure before the duo arrived. Liverpool now have a solidity about them which has been absent since Rafael Benitez's best years at Anfield.
2. There’s life after Buvac
When Zeljko Buvac left Liverpool in April, many fans feared the worst. It was suggested that the Serbian, who had worked alongside Klopp since 2001, was the man who implemented the Reds' pressing game and it was expected that his departure would bring about a downturn in performances.
Yet after a slower and more pragmatic start to the season, Liverpool have scored 16 goals in their last five league games and have now drawn level with Manchester City in the goal difference stakes. A key appointment made by Klopp in the summer was that of Dutch coach Pepijn Lijnders – formerly a youth and then first-team development coach at Melwood – who has effectively replaced Buvac as the German's right-hand man.
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3. Salah’s no one-season wonder
When Mohamed Salah hit an incredible 44 goals in his debut campaign at Anfield, it led to inevitable questions about whether the Egyptian would be able to repeat the feat in 2018/19. A slow start to his second season led to some dismissing him as a one-season wonder, but he’s now back to his goalscoring best with 15 so far in all competitions.
In the Premier League, Salah has scored 12 goals and provided six assists, despite a change in role that has shifted him to a more central position. Now he's fully recovered from that shoulder injury, expect Salah to score at least another 15 goals in the second half of the season.
4. Medicals matter
The Champions League final defeat was the lowlight of 2018 for Liverpool, but apart from that there was only one disappointment for the Reds: their failure to sign Nabil Fekir from Lyon in the summer.
The French attacking midfielder was seen as the ideal No.10 in Klopp’s 4-2-3-1 system. He had all but completed his move to Anfield before the World Cup, but concerns over a pre-existing knee injury ultimately scuppered the move. Klopp has responded by deploying Roberto Firmino in the withdrawn role he previously fulfilled at Hoffenheim.
It's clear that there's now a strategic plan at Anfield running right through the club. Klopp trusts in sporting director Michael Edwards, admitting that he and his scouting team pushed for signings such as Salah.
A year ago Liverpool acquired Virgil van Dijk, showing a willingness to stick to a long-term plan having failed to land the Dutchman in the summer. “You have to be aligned, everybody has to understand their role,” CEO Peter Moore told FourFourTwo.
6. Klopp will spend big to get right men
Speaking of which, in 2018 Klopp has broken the world transfer record for a defender and goalkeeper with the signings of Van Dijk and Alisson. It signalled a change in approach from the German, who had said in 2016 that he “wants to do things differently” and that he “would do it differently even if I could spend that money [£100m on one player]”.
But after splashing £65m on Alisson, Klopp acknowledged: “I couldn’t imagine the world [of football transfers] would change like that from two-and-a-half years ago." It's still early days, but the Brazilian and Van Dijk both look well worth their fees already.
7. Records are there to be broken
There are some records in football that will never be broken in the modern game, such as Liverpool defender Phil Neal’s incredible 417 consecutive appearances between 1976 and 1983.
But in 2018, Salah broke the Premier League record for most goals in a 38-game season, while Liverpool recorded their best ever start to a season in their 126-year history. This season Alisson will almost certainly break the club record for most clean sheets in a Premier League campaign (12 so far; record 20), although he still has some way to go match Ray Clemence’s 28 shut-outs in 1978/79.
8. Reds are a European force
This was the year Liverpool returned to Europe’s elite. After a disappointing comeback to the Champions League in 2014 under Brendan Rodgers, Klopp's side blitzed their way to the 2018 final in style, scoring five or more goals against every team they played in the competition (home and away combined) bar Real Madrid.
Their entertaining, exhilarating brand of football won admirers across the continent, while also helping to make Liverpool an attractive proposition for potential signings. After seeing the progress made by Sadio Mané, Firmino, Salah, Van Dijk and even Xherdan Shaqiri, more and more players will be clambering to join Klopp’s revolution.
9. The title is possible
If it wasn't for Manchester City’s incredible early-season form, Liverpool would have found themselves clear at the top of the table much earlier than Christmas. Three defeats in four games for Pep Guardiola’s side mean the Reds have moved six points clear at the midway stage, with Tottenham now their closest rivals.
Undefeated after 19 games having conceded just seven goals, Liverpool look well positioned to continue their excellence in 2019. Things can change quickly, of course, and no one on Merseyside will be taking anything for granted - especially with the memories of 2014 still haunting the Reds' fanbase.
But as Klopp has rightly pointed out, previous failings to end the elusive title wait mean nothing for this current group - only three players and one member of the backroom staff from the 2013/14 challenge under Rodgers remain at the club. This is a new dawn and a new era.
Regardless of how the 2018/19 season plays out, we’ve seen over the past year that the future is very bright indeed for Liverpool. Most of the club's key players are yet to reach their peak years; Van Dijk and Lovren (both 27), and Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson (both 28) are in their prime, while James Milner is the only regular in his 30s.
But beyond those, the likes of Fabinho (25), Naby Keita (23), Andy Robertson (24), Salah, Mané (26), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (25), Joe Gomez (21) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (20) have plenty of years ahead of them. Gomez has shown his class at centre-back in 2018, Oxlade-Chamberlain has proven his ability in a central role, and Alexander-Arnold has flourished into one of Europe’s best young talents.
The club's academy is also stacked with high-quality talent, making this a very exciting time to be a Liverpool fan.
Matt Ladson is the co-founder and editor of This Is Anfield, the independent Liverpool news and comment website, and covers all areas of the Reds for FourFourTwo – including transfer analysis, interviews, title wins and European trophies. As well as writing about Liverpool for FourFourTwo he also contributes to other titles including Yahoo and Bleacher Report. He is a lifelong fan of the Reds.
