Would the Season Be a Disappointment with Just One Trophy?

by
Mo Salah, Liverpool
Cosmin Iftode | Bigstockphoto

When Arne Slot took over from the brilliant Jürgen Klopp, even the most optimistic Liverpool fan would not have thought that Liverpool winning multiple trophies was likely, whilst the Reds claiming a treble would certainly not have been expected. However, rewind just a few short days, and Liverpool were heavily fancied to win the three trophies they were still in the hunt for.

The Reds are flying high at the top of the Premier League table, through to the final of the EFL Cup (against Newcastle, on Sunday the 16th of March), and were favourites to land the Champions League, having topped the group phase of that competition. With Man City eliminated and several of the other big clubs failing to fire, the Reds were the side to fear.

Moreover, they had managed a total smash-and-grab raid in the first leg of their tie against PSG. Hammered for the whole game, they nicked a 1-0 win in Paris in the 87th minute and, with the return leg at Anfield, were huge odds-on favourites to eliminate the Ligue 1 giants. But the crazy old world of football had other plans and, as all Reds will know, Liverpool got knocked out on penalties.

A Lot Could Happen in a Week…


A week is a very long time in football and from being well fancied for the treble, even if there was still an awful lot of work to do, supporters more inclined to pessimism will now feel that their team could very easily end up with just one trophy. Slot and co remain huge favourites to see off the Magpies in the final of the League Cup. They are priced at 4/6 to win in 90 minutes and just 1/3 to lift the EFL Cup at Wembley.

However, nerves can creep in and Eddie Howe has developed a very good side. In Alexander Isak, who could be heading to Liverpool if you believe the rumours, the Geordies have one of the best strikers in the world. Liverpool have relied very heavily on Mo Salah this term but if, on the big day, Isak outperforms the Egyptian, it is all too easy to see Newcastle pulling off an upset. The Reds played a gruelling 120 minutes of football on Tuesday night and lost Trent Alexander-Arnold as well, so they will have to be at their best to land the first piece of silverware of the campaign.

If Newcastle do manage to get the better of them it will feel like the season has fallen apart in the space of just six days. Of course, that is quite a big if, even allowing for the factors mentioned above. Should the Reds romp to victory at Wembley then the loss to PSG will be easier to forget and fans can look forward to celebrating a double. But if they don’t, would it really be fair to view the campaign as having fallen apart? Would one trophy be a disappointment?

Perspective Is Vital


If Liverpool do leave Wembley empty-handed but then go on to lift the Premier League title, as they surely will, the 2024/25 campaign will still be a huge success. Of course, winning one trophy is not as good as two, which is not as good as three, so there will be some disappointment in the short term, following the Champions League exit and possible EFL Cup letdown.

But the club, fans and players must maintain some perspective and any season that ends with a Premier League title has to be viewed as a success. That is pretty much true for any club in world football at any point in their history, but considering the huge managerial change at Anfield in the summer it would be especially true in this instance.

How Other Managers Fared in Their First Seasons

When one considers how Arsenal dealt with Arsène Wenger leaving and how Man United have fared in the post-Alex Ferguson era, it really will be a remarkable achievement for Slot to come in and do in his first season what took the incredible Klopp so long to achieve. Of course, Liverpool’s German talisman left the club in far greater shape than those other two Premier League legends but even so, replacing such a massive figure is never easy.

There were many who questioned the record of Dutch bosses in English football, in particular in light of just how bad Erik ten Hag had performed at Man United. Ten Hag was very highly regarded in the Netherlands and achieved a lot and the fear was that Slot would find it just as hard to adjust to the Premier League.

Such concerns proved unfounded though, and once again the recruitment team appear to have made an incredible call when it comes to the gaffer. Slot has a long way to go before he can be spoken of in the same way as Klopp but winning the PL title in his first season would be a huge step in the right direction.

The Reds began the season as distant third favourites in the title race. Man City looked like an unstoppable machine, bidding for a fifth title in a row, whilst Arsenal appeared to be the side most likely to push Pep’s champions. That duo were priced at odds of 11/10 and 15/8 respectively, with Liverpool way out at 7/1. When the Anfield giants had a decidedly quiet transfer window, any faint hopes of glory drifted further away but Slot and his brilliant team have defied expectations and are 15 points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Klopp Only Won One Premier League Title

To view such an incredible campaign as a disappointment would be madness. Klopp, a true icon and legend and a world-class manager, won just one Premier League title. If Slot can match that at the first attempt, he will have overperformed and massively overachieved. What would make this Premier League win even sweeter is the fact that it would draw the Reds level with the Red Devils of Manchester in terms of top-flight title wins. This would be Liverpool’s 20th success, drawing them level with Man United and given just how far off the pace United look, it would be no surprise to see Slot guide his troops to a 21st title well before Man United get there.

In short, winning the Champions League would have been amazing and winning the EFL Cup – which the club may still do – would be a nice bonus. But the bread and butter for any club is the domestic title and for Liverpool to win it in such style, and by such a wide margin, as seems almost guaranteed, would make this campaign a huge success and in no way a disappointment.