Liverpool learn secret which WILL deliver Premier League title

In the Premier League and Champions League this season, Liverpool are flying.

They sit top of the table in both competitions, resulting in significant speculation within different fanbases of what the team might be capable of this year.

But after last season's efforts came up short, the team has an important lesson to learn this time around.

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The difference between 'expectations' and 'hopes'

When ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp muttered the words "I'm running out of energy" midway through last season, every Liverpool fan knew what was coming - his retirement.

As such, given the known quality of the side he had, fans rallied around the team in an effort to finish his tenure at the club on a high, a sort of 'let's win the league for Klopp', if you will.

Every game became a cup final, including the infamous Carabao Cup final success against Chelsea, where 'Klopp's kids' were victorious after the side had been ravished by injuries and were frustrated in a 120-minute battle for the ages.

Liverpool looked defiant in the Premier League and Europa League, but eventually, both of their campaigns in those competitions fell apart, simply because the players ran out of gas, both physically and emotionally.

The season ended, Klopp made his farewell from Merseyside and Arne Slot was the chosen one to replace the Reds' modern-day figurehead, an extremely daunting task.

And while fans' hopes for Liverpool never changed, winning everything in sight, the reality of the situation meant that expectations had to change. No one knew how the team would work under Slot, and so the expectation of securing a Champions League spot seemed a reasonable aim for the season.

Hopes for the team rarely change, given Liverpool's standing as one of the biggest clubs in world football, whereas expectations can very quickly drift on the realistic scale.

Liverpool's emphatic start to the season

After some late nights in the muggy heat of summer in England, fans began to get a flavour of how things might go under Slot, as the team won each of their preseason games.

A clear style of play was integrated quickly and changes from Klopp's approach were evident from the start. Heavy-metal football evolved into breaking down the opposition with relentless passing routines - resulting in more sustained attacks and a shored-up defence.

Now 17 games into the season, Liverpool have won 15 of them, while losing just one. Ten goals have been conceded across all competitions, with nine clean sheets recorded.

In the new-look Champions League group phase, Liverpool have just Real Madrid (H), Girona (A), Lille (H) and PSV (A) remaining.

The prospect of a Carabao Cup semi-final lurks around the corner should Liverpool win their quarter-final tie against Southampton (A).

And both Manchester City and Arsenal are off the pace in the Premier League title hunt.

Quite simply, things could not have started in a much better fashion - records have been shattered surrounding the best efforts from new managers in their maiden campaign in England.

Growing noise surrounding Liverpool

At the start of the season, in line with fans' perspectives, Liverpool were predicted by pundits and rival fans to finish third at best, as the Premier League was to be contested by City and Arsenal again.

None of this was surprising, the loss of Klopp was unquantifiable. Manchester United were lost at sea for a number of years after Sir Alex Ferguson left and Arsenal were much the same when Arsene Wenger departed.

Yet it appears that Liverpool have found the key for sustained success, and fans quickly bought into the new manager - much at the request of Klopp who created an Arne Slot chant at his farewell in May.

The team quickly registered wins on the board, and have taken every lesson they can from their shock defeat against Nottingham Forest at Anfield in August.

Although the side continue to go under the radar, with the Reds' earlier form being credited to an 'easy start', Arne Slot carried on his merry way, delivering statement wins over Manchester United and AC Milan, but still the narrative wouldn't budge.

Then came October, a daunting list of Liverpool fixtures which rival fans claimed would make or break Liverpool's credentials as a title challenger - despite having fought long and hard in the race last season.

Now eight games into the team's treacherous period, Liverpool have won seven of them, drawing the visit to Arsenal, and the Reds find themselves five points clear of City and nine points clear of Arsenal.

The claim that Liverpool haven't played any big teams is now nothing short of nonsense, and this team deserves the utmost respect for continuing to deliver during what most teams would consider to be a transition season.

But expectations are rapidly changing as Liverpool - who weren't title challengers - are now all of a sudden the favourites for the Premier League title, who would have 'bottled it' should they not win from here, despite the domestic season being just 11 games old, and Arne Slot still learning English football.

Liverpool have to learn from last time

When Liverpool knew Klopp would leave last season, the hyper-fixation to win the league for him created unnecessary tension.

Did Liverpool have a chance to win the league? Yes. But they were in a three-way title race and turning every game into a 'cup final' undoubtedly added a significant burden for the team to carry.

When Liverpool missed out on the title in the 2018/19 season, despite winning 97 points, the team took their medicine, focused on the task in hand and learnt their lesson the following season to win the first division for the first time in 30 years.

What we cannot do this time around is find a reason why we need to win the league - for example, the risk of losing Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold because of the club's contract disaster.

Winning the league for them while we still have their services would be brilliant, but that shouldn't define us. It's Arne Slot's first season, we have started well in all competitions, but that's it. How the remainder of the season finishes is a script that is yet to be written.

Manchester City find themselves without their Ballon d'Or winner Rodri for the season and Arsenal have started poorly in their third successive attempt to end their title drought.

But the players can still only give their all. FSG made no significant signings in the summer, leaving the team in many people's minds as undercooked and not at the level to win this year.

So, while Liverpool are flying, just remember that all of this is still true. Your expectations of the club may go on to change, but what Liverpool are doing at the moment is extraordinary, simple as that.

Hopefully, in six months, we will all be looking at a Liverpool team that has found success this season, but regardless of whether the team hauls in any trophies, just remember what your expectations were when the campaign began.

This side has promise, talent galore and hope, under the management of a coach that is not 'running out of energy', but let's not get ahead of ourselves quite yet and make the same mistakes of previous failed endeavours.

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