It may have meant a 30 year wait and a wait that seemed even more agonising than anyone would have dare hoped for, but eventually Liverpool finally climbed to the top of the Premier League summit and no one can argue their worth as the current dominant force in English football.
Jurgen Klopp’s men may have taken their foot off the pedal in the past couple of weeks and because of that a record points tally will not be scooped up at the end of the season. However, in terms of actual trophies, the moniker of ‘centurions’ amounts to nothing more than window dressing.
While as soon as the celebrations from their Premier League winning party die down, the focus soon shifts to what happens next and with such a tight turnaround to the following campaign, preparations will have already begun in earnest.
To the point where pundits and punters alike are asking themselves whether the Anfield outfit can rule the roost for a second straight season, because as difficult as it is to win the Premier League title, it’s even tougher to defend it.
Such is the mantra, that the oddsmakers are already doubting whether Liverpool can achieve a repeat of their success and their current odds have them as second-favourites behind Manchester City.
Which means, if domestic dominance is not to be on the agenda, then perhaps it is time to claim back the very trophy that could be loaned to City themselves for 12 months and that of course means, the UEFA Champions League.
A trophy that has been in the possession of the club, on no fewer than six occasions and after being dumped out of this year’s edition by Atletico Madrid, a sense of having to settle a score comes to the forefront.
Of course, it is not necessarily looking at the team marshalled by Diego Simeone, as the main point of vengeance, it is more about taking back the trophy, that has a near symbiotic relationship with the red half of Merseyside.
The fact that no Premier League champion has managed to also win the Champions League in the same season – at least not since Manchester United did so under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2008, suggests how difficult it is to spin both plates.
With that in mind and if the bookmaker’s early odds are correct, it might mean that Liverpool decide to put some of their eggs in a European basket instead and aim for a seventh return to the continent’s top footballing step.
Then again, the bookmakers are not always correct and if the form guide does not go the way that they intend, it might leave Klopp and his cabal of players, with something of a dilemma to ponder over.
Should Liverpool find themselves in the midst of a title race and one that they are winning to boot, it would prove to be the ultimate test of the squad’s resilience and perhaps success on multiple fronts could be on the horizon.
With their arch-rivals Manchester United being the last club to land such a rich double, it does show the task in hand is a difficult one. With that said, it is also not impossible and with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane hitting their absolute peaks, this could be their final act.
As the African pair and Roberto Firmino are all at the grand age of 28, they will all peak together and although the fearsome attacking trio will bloom in unison, it also means that they will age at the same rate and could next season be their last hurrah as we know it?
There will eventually have to be some form of evolution as far as the Liverpool attack line goes and although that does not mean a mass fire sale at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, it would be a surprise to see all three of them lead the line some 24 months from now.
Which means, what better way for the tripod of attacking talent to bow out before breaking up – a final act, that not only sees them defy the bookmakers and win back to back Premier League titles, but also take back European club football’s richest prize in the same season.
