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The title seemed within reach: Liverpool FC had two wins for the first championship since 1990. But now the corona virus threatens to destroy all hopes.
“If I said everything I could think of, I would see myself as the worst loser in the world.” Jürgen Klopp said this phrase almost six weeks ago. His team, Liverpool FC, had just failed at Atlético de Madrid in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
From the dream of defending the title in first class, the most important cup in European club football. But this bankruptcy would be bearable. Because for club fans this season should primarily be to win the championship title, it would be the first in 30 years.
It is impossible to imagine what would have happened in the English port metropolis and in the city of workers if the Premier League had been won. After the success in the first class and the previous years of sports mediocrity. For years, fans have yearned to win the national league. And this season you are so close to that. But now, due to the pandemic, there is great fear among fans that the title will not be won.
The weekend before the knockout in the Champions League. The Premier League leaders laughed a lot. Liverpool defeated AFC Bournemouth 2-1. With the victory, the Reds temporarily extended their lead to 25 points. In a world without a pandemic, the Klopp eleven would have been English champions for a few weeks. “At Klopp We Trust”, the mantra of Liverpool fans: It could have been the culmination of an already magical relationship between “Reds” fans and former BVB coach.
The worst case is possible
In the current situation, the team and fans must now be patient. According to media reports, a restart of the Premier League is planned for June 8. “We hope and fear that the championship can still be reserved any day of the year,” said the head of Liverpool fan club “German Reds” of the “Sport Show”.
But the worst case scenario is still possible. Because how and if the season will be played in England is still completely open. The final decision to cancel or continue playing rests with the policy.
The worst case scenario for Klopp and his team would be a demolition, with no champion chosen. This has already happened in Belgium and the Netherlands. According to the English newspaper “Mirror”, 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs would also have to vote for a rule change that could even allow for the choice of a champion before completing the league’s 38 games.
How much would a title be worth?
Liverpool striker Sadio Mané would accept a season break. “In this situation, whatever happens, I would understand,” said the Senegalese in early April. And Coach Klopp also commented on it. “We cannot and will not enforce that,” he said of a restart of the Premier League, noting that they would trust the instructions of the UK government.
But even if the season was still playable and the title went to Liverpool: how much would that title be worth? Almost certainly, Klopp and company would celebrate the title in an empty stadium. A scene of horror. Because celebrating a title involves more than finishing the league first in a table.
Let the emotions run wild, hug your teammates, cheer on the fans, sing and celebrate with them – none of this will happen to Liverpool players at this stage. The same applies to followers who have been waiting so long for the title.
Celebrating a historic win like a championship after 30 years in a quiet closet instead of cheering him on with friends on the street, in bars or in the gardens seems grotesque. The core of the title would be stripped of its purpose. It would be the tragic end of an outstanding Liverpool season.
