Four reasons why a Liverpool title win is good for English football

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It feels like there’s a wave of negativity across English football at the moment, not merely concerning the soul of the game — an evergreen concern — but more about the quality and style of what we’re watching.

This is despite the Premier League being almost unquestionably the world’s best league, certainly when judged on the average standard of team, if not necessarily on those at the top of the division. Besides, recent seasons have produced record-breaking goals-per-game figures in the Premier League era and while a higher number being scored in itself is not automatically entertaining, it’s surely preferable to the reverse.

Clearly, this has not been a vintage Premier League season, largely because the two pre-season favourites, Manchester City and Arsenal, have not performed to expectations and effectively failed to enable a genuine title race to happen. That has left Liverpool alone at the top, coasting to victory without much of a challenge, which is not their fault. Besides, Liverpool have 79 points after 33 games; that figure would put them top at this stage last season too, when City had 73 from 32, two more than Arsenal.

We can’t be entirely certain, though, whether Liverpool would be better or worse — or entirely the same — if they were being pushed hard by a rival. On one hand, a fierce title challenge can force teams to squeeze every last drop out of their potential. On the other, a side can crumble under pressure.

Liverpool’s title win has looked secure for weeks (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Liverpool’s recent middling run of form, which has included a Champions League exit at home to Paris Saint-Germain, a terrible performance in losing the Carabao Cup final to Newcastle and a rare league defeat away to Fulham, means they’ve come in for criticism.

Title-winners are probably judged, more than we accept, by their form in the spring of the season concerned. On that basis, especially in an era when the eventual champions have often won several games on the spin during March and April, this version of Liverpool may not be remembered fondly.

But this Liverpool side deserve enormous credit, not merely for winning the title comfortably, but also because of the way they’ve gone about things.

Indeed, after a couple of seasons where Arsenal and City have loaded up on big, physical players, become more cautious and played overwhelmingly ‘structured’ football, Liverpool’s ascendency has demonstrated that various things are still possible.

First, they show that football success doesn’t need to be about spending big money.

In a season where few new arrivals have sparkled in the Premier League as a whole, Liverpool’s only summer signing, Federico Chiesa, hasn’t started a Premier League game all season. Liverpool have trusted in their existing players and their title win, assuming it comes, won’t be despite signing nobody, it will be — at least in part — because they’ve signed nobody.

It’s clear they’re somewhat exhausted now, and will need a bigger squad next season. But having a larger pool of players means finding ways of giving newcomers minutes, and that will affect team cohesion.

Liverpool signed Chiesa last summer but he has barely featured in the league (Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images)

Second, Liverpool show that technical quality can still thrive.

Their lack of a big, dominant holding midfielder was considered their main weakness last summer, but Arne Slot repositioned Ryan Gravenberch, turning a technical No 8 into a controlling No 6. Gravenberch still offers physical presence, but he’s more defined by his unusual ability to receive the ball on the half-turn and drive forward into attack, something you don’t expect of a holding midfielder.

Furthermore, while City’s Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta of Arsenal turned to defensive-minded full-backs when challenging for the title, at times almost going for fielding four centre-backs together, Liverpool continued to tolerate the defensive lapses of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, in the belief their attacking qualities make that gamble worthwhile. Up front, for all the fuss about Arsenal apparently needing a proper No 9, like Erling Haaland of City, to win the league, Liverpool have shown it’s possible to do so using false-forwards who get the best from others.

Gravenberch (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Third, Liverpool show us that top-class footballers have earned some level of freedom.

Guardiola and Arteta place big positional restrictions on their players. Of course, that has often allowed their teams to thrive, but at times — with Jack Grealish at City, for example — it has taken something away from talented players.

Mohamed Salah appeared to be slowing down as he moved deeper into his thirties: his Premier League goals return last season was the lowest of his first seven years with Liverpool. Other managers might have given him a reduced role, or suggested that he needed to work harder defensively to continue to justify his place.

But no. Salah has been the focus of Liverpool’s play under Slot and he’s often been moved high up the pitch, where he can concentrate on attacking. Liverpool have got the ball to him quicker than ever. He should finish the season with the most goals, and the most assists, in the division.

(Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Fourth, Liverpool show that a team’s manager doesn’t need to be the sole focus of everything.

Replacing Jurgen Klopp was arguably a challenge in personality as much as tactics; he was a hugely dominant figure who had transformed the club. But Slot has, in comparison with Klopp, but also with Guardiola and Arteta, been more subtle about his business. He was peculiarly quiet in terms of media responsibilities in the summer, even on Liverpool’s in-house channels.

Slot isn’t interested in soundbites, or grand gestures, or being the centre of attention. Yes, he’s straight-talking — he’s Dutch, after all — but he is focused on detail, on small improvements. He also deserves credit for not trying to reinvent the wheel and desperately trying to put his own stamp on Liverpool.

The side he inherited needed a little more discipline, particularly in midfield, but not major change. Other managers’ egos might have ensured a more dramatic transformation.

(Michael Regan/Getty Images)

It’s difficult to believe there’s any such thing as a footballing neutral these days, in an era of blind loyalty to particular clubs (and players) and where hatred seemingly plays an overwhelming role in being a follower of the sport.

But if there are any of them left, the neutral should be cheered by the success of Liverpool.

They have slowed down in recent weeks, but for the majority of the season they played exciting attacking football based around getting the best from technical players, not on heavy spending, authoritarianism or ego.

Football style trickles down the leagues remarkably quickly these days, and the game overall will be in a much better place if others are inspired by this Liverpool, rather than the current iterations of Arsenal and City.

(Top photo: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

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