Now what for the champions of England? What happens next at Liverpool Football Club?
The Reds’ short and long-term future, in all facets of the club, is fraught with questions ranging from exciting to troubling.
If a week is a long time in politics, then it should be considered an age in football, given the way the events of the past few days in Anfield have unfolded.
Having won the club’s first league since 1990 just nine days ago, the Reds had a brief, but memorable, party on the dance floors of Formby Hall Golf Resort in Merseyside.
Even Jurgen Klopp participated in the act and by Friday morning, his movements had gone viral. A deluge of media obligations followed as the Reds talked about the scale of their accomplishments.
With no game until the following Thursday for the new champions, it was supposed to be time for reflection. An opportunity to toast a victory that had been in the works for three decades.
However, in an age that is not holding one’s breath for the considerate, the consequences of Liverpool’s sporting success took a sharp turn when thousands of people lined the streets on Thursday and Friday night.
About 7,000 descended onto the city’s iconic waterfront when an uncompromising V sign was shaken by social distancing patterns and government-imposed blockade laws.
Merseyside police made a total of 15 arrests, and a man appeared in court earlier this week, accused of targeting fireworks at the city’s Liver Building.
At a time when the club should have enjoyed the glow of triumph, a statement was hastily issued instead, calling the meetings “totally unacceptable.”
Klopp himself, in fact, for this same newspaper, urged supporters to respect the restrictions on Monday, as Liverpool tried to bounce back.
“We owe it to the most vulnerable in our community, to the health workers who have given so much and to whom we have applauded, and to the police and local authorities who help us as a club not to do this,” he said in a statement. letter to ECHO.
What should have been a time of unbridled joy had to be tempered by the need to convey serious and important messages.
“We have half a million people killed by this (worldwide), so let’s not be a contributor to that,” CEO Peter Moore said Friday as the club asked fans to give Anfield ample room when the Reds go back to town. this weekend.
From delight and delirium to disappointment and disgust. It is seldom a dull moment that Liverpool FC covers. And that’s only the last week.
So what’s next for the champions of England?
From an immediate point of view, off the field, the club expects fans to stay away when the Premier League winners return home for Aston Villa’s Sunday visit.
In the long term, plans are tentatively underway for a convertible bus parade that is likely to overshadow the scenes that saw 750,000 take to the streets of the city to welcome the 2019 Champions League winners.
In the field, the question of ‘what happens now?’ is so pertinent
Having finally reached the top of the mountain, what happens next to the 19 champions of England?
How does Klopp plan to ensure that the club’s first title in 30 years is not instantaneous? And how does the Reds boss intend to see his team’s dominance become habitual?
“I know that when you feel like you’ve reached your pinnacle, you’re already going down,” Klopp said earlier this week.
“And honestly, I don’t feel that way for Liverpool. I don’t feel satisfied finally. It’s just one more step.”
Bullish stuff from the Reds boss. The words that indicate that the fire in the belly will still burn next season.
But what will Fenway Sports Group club owners do to support their manager in the transfer market to achieve that goal?
Early indications are that it will be a low-key window for the Reds as they continue to navigate through the coronavirus crisis that shuttered so many sources of income in the past three months.
“In the short term we are in a difficult situation due to COVID-19 and we have had many conversations about how to manage during this difficult period,” President Tom Werner told ECHO last week.
Liverpool have a team that is the envy of world football with one of the strongest XIs in the game, at least if it is a slim summer on the incoming front.
With the exception of Gini Wijnaldum, the Reds’ big stars are tied to long-term contracts and won’t be waving to leave.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino have signed new contracts since April 2018. The backbone of this team is firmly in place. .
Plans to expand Anfield were delayed 12 months earlier this year, but the club’s goal of adding another 7,000 seats to one of the most iconic stadiums in world football remains firmly on the agenda.
A new £ 50 million training base is now surely just a few weeks away from opening in Kirkby as Klopp and his players count the final days at Melwood’s current base.
Much of Liverpool’s infrastructure is on dry land both on and off the pitch. This is a club that is well positioned to get ahead of this success and become a force for years to come.
So whatever comes next for the champions of England promises to be an exciting time to witness it.
* *Send your congratulations to Jurgen and the team by placing a Premier League trophy on our map.
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