Liverpool has booked its place in the Champions League final Wednesday morning, fulfilling the quadruple dream.
This is a rare feat in English football. All of them have failed.
Liverpool’s current optimism is a good thing, but history shows that Liverpool’s quest to win four top flight trophies in a single season is unlikely.
This Liverpool side will break the barrier and it will be remembered as one of the greatest club football sides.
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The third Champions League final in five seasons is an incredible achievement in the current football landscape. This team has the potential to win a second Premier League title in just three seasons, trailing Manchester City by one point with four remaining games. It’s a remarkable feat of sportsmanship.
Liverpool will play Chelsea in the FA Cup final on May 15, having won the League Cup against the exact same opponents in February.
However, there is a disturbing duality to the situation Liverpool finds itself in now.
There are three more trophies that can be won, but there are also trophies that can be lost. This completely transforms the atmosphere around the club.
The coming weeks will be a crucial moment for this core group that brought Liverpool back to glory.
There is no indication that Liverpool is in danger of a major derailment and a total rebuild. This is impossible given Liverpool’s current state under Jurgen Klopp’s steely reign, but it is inevitable that there will be a need for rejuvenation.
This could be made more urgent by the difficulty of challenging multiple titles at this stage.
These moments eventually lead to reflections, new dreams, and rework of individual goals and wishes.
This is particularly true for players entering the final stages or their contracts, especially when they are in their prime money-making window.
This is where some of Liverpool’s most important weapons, the era-defining players around whom the group was founded, are at this very moment.
Mo Salah, Liverpool’s darling and whose future at Anfield is uncertain, is the greatest.
Salah will turn 30 in the next month, and is still under contract for one season. Liverpool may try to sell Salah this summer in order to avoid losing him in the 2023 offseason.
Liverpool has not been reassured by the Egyptian, who has stalled on long-term contract negotiations. A big-money transfer to Paris Saint Germain is also being considered, in case Kylian Mbappe leaves, as widely rumoured.
The matter is not without its complexities. Salah’s relationship with Klopp is a significant variable. Klopp is well-known for his outward affections to many of his players, but Salah isn’t usually one of them.
Salah describes Klopp’s relationship as “professional”.
Marca asked Salah last year what his relationship was with Klopp. Salah replied emotionally detached.
It’s a normal relationship between professionals. He said, “That’s how I would describe it.”
He said that he would play in Spain “maybe one day”.
Klopp, who signed a new contract last month to take him to 2026, is more committed than Salah.
Klopp’s commitment to Salah’s future long-term will only fuel doubts about the club’s future.
Salah is a Premier League leader in assists (22) and goals (23) this season. However, he is also well into his prime.
He’s not the only one.
Sadio Mane, a fellow star, turned 30 in April. He is now set to enter his final year of his deal.
Although the club seems more confident about the Senegalese forward’s departure, he is also a worrying holdout to this point.
Roberto Firmino (31 in October) and Naby Keita (27 years old) are both out of contract at season’s end.
Firmino has been somewhat reduced to fringe player status by injuries and new signings, but it was his partnership in Salah and Mane which helped to turn the tide at Anfield, after years of misery, with the exception being the 2013-14 season.
There are many questions surrounding the future of big-name Liverpool players. This could spell doom for the team.
It’s not to suggest it shouldn’t expect to get worse, even though the possible departure of Salah Firmino-Mane appears to be catastrophic on paper.
Liverpool in 2022 — as well as the Premier League in general — have the appeal to attract the best players in the world, while the sale would finance the signings by others.
Klopp’s track record in recruiting is outstanding and he has proven that even with smaller budgets, he can do miracles.
He hasn’t been missed on any of his signings, with Diogo Jonta playing a significant role in 2021-22 and 15 league goals, while Luis Diaz was seamless in his introduction in the second half.
Jota and Diaz settled quickly at Anfield, which has created the foundation for Liverpool’s continuity in attacking stocks. It’s also likely that Klopp would attract at most one major signing if he was forced to leave.
One name that will be prominent in the Premier League rumour mill this off-season is Erling Haaland, while Mbappe has been reported to have been unsettling for some time at Paris Saint Germain.
These issues will be brought into sharper focus soon, but for now Liverpool is ready to start what could easily be the greatest three-week spell ever.
However, May’s remaining time could be filled only with pain.
Whatever the outcome, Liverpool has a good chance of coming out on top as a new team.
