As we head into the second third of Liverpool’s 2025/26 season, the Reds find themselves in somewhat of a crisis. After winning the Premier League title in dominant fashion last term, the Merseysiders announced their intention to become English football’s next true dynasty this summer. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak both arrived at Anfield for record-breaking fees, and Arne Slot’s side stormed out of the gate, winning their first five games on the spin and looking a surefire bet to defend their crown.
What a difference a few weeks make. The Reds lost their first game of the season on matchday six as they were beaten by Crystal Palace, courtesy of Eddie Nketiah’s last-gasp winner. A week later, they were beaten again, this time by Chelsea, and once again, there was more late drama. If that wasn’t bad enough, sandwiched in between those losses came a disappointing 1-0 reverse against Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League. The three losses on the bounce have forced online betting sites to rethink their evaluation of the Reds.
Those who bet on sports at Bovada will have noticed that Liverpool was an odds-on favorite to claim a second straight title just a few weeks ago. Now, they are a 2/1 second favorite, with perennial runners-up Arsenal installed as the 9/10 frontrunner. That’s left a lot of those who bet on sports wondering who to back and why. But a crisis is always relative; one only needs to look at the recent history of The Reds as proof of that. Here is the state that Liverpool found itself in a decade ago.
Brendan Rodgers Era Comes to a Bitter End
Former manager Brendan Rodgers threatened to usher in a new golden era at Anfield. Little did he know that it would ultimately be his replacement that did exactly that. The Northern Irish boss rebuilt the Reds after the disastrous stints of Roy Hodgson and Kenny Dalglish, bringing in the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge, as well as blooding youngsters such as Raheem Sterling into the first team fold.
In 2013/14, it looked as though the rebuild would reach its apex as a Luis Suarez-powered Reds stormed to the brink of a first Premier League title in 24 years. Ultimately, however, Steven Gerrard’s costly slip against Chelsea, coupled with a stunning collapse against Crystal Palace just days later, saw them miss out. Fast forward just over 12 months, and Rodgers, once heralded as the messiah, was suddenly out of a job.
A disappointing 2014/15 season saw Liverpool fall back down to sixth in the table, and the following season started as the last one had finished: poorly. A 1-1 draw in the Merseyside Derby on October 4th, 2015, saw the Reds plummet to tenth in the table, and owner John Henry had seen enough. Rodgers was axed, and a new era was around the corner.
Poor Squad Has Golden Era Bones
Upon Rodgers’ departure from Anfield, the Reds squad was a million miles away from the one that would usher in another golden era on Merseyside. The much-maligned Simon Mignolet was the club’s number one goalkeeper, while Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho, Alberto Moreno, and Nathaniel Clyne made up one of the league’s most porous defenses. Further up the field, Adam Lallana was tasked with providing the creative spark, while Christian Benteke was supposed to be the main source of goals.
However, in and among that mediocrity, the bones of a championship-winning team were beginning to form. Both Roberto Firmino and James Milner arrived months prior, while new captain Jordan Henderson – anointed following Steven Gerrard’s departure to Los Angeles – was the man tasked with leading the club into the future. But the most important arrival was still yet to come.
October 8th, 2015: Jürgen Klopp Arrives
After a slew of disappointing managerial appointments, Liverpool made a statement on October 8th when they hired former Borussia Dortmund boss Jürgen Klopp to replace the outgoing Brendan Rodgers. The maverick German boss had emerged as one of the leading coaches in the game throughout his stint at Signal Iduna Park, helping BVB to back-to-back Bundesliga titles ahead of perennial heavyweights Bayern Munich, as well as leading the club to the UEFA Champions League final in 2013.
Klopp became available following his departure from Dortmund in the summer of 2015, citing burnout and the fact that he felt he had taken his former club as far as he could. After a brief hiatus, he was back, inheriting the Anfield hotseat and anointing himself as “the Normal One” as opposed to Jose Mourinho’s “Special One.” There was nothing normal about what was to come.
No one could have ever imagined the journey that Klopp would take Liverpool on, even though his first few months in charge immediately inspired hope. The German boss would have to wait until Halloween for his first league victory, a stunning 3-1 triumph away at Chelsea courtesy of a Coutinho brace. But that was just the beginning of what was to come.
Klopp led his new side to the Europa League final in his first season, and while that ended in defeat at the hands of Sevilla, no Red would remember that night in Basel by the end of the iconic manager’s incredible eight-year reign.