The Quadruple is gone: What does the season hold for Liverpool now?

Many questioned how Liverpool would cope after the departure of their iconic manager, Jürgen Klopp, at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. Surprisingly, the Reds have thrived under new boss Arne Slot, maintaining a dominant lead at the summit of the Premier League for most of the season.

In Europe, they excelled in the revamped league format, finishing top of their group with aplomb. By early February, whispers of an unprecedented quadruple began to circulate. However, recent events have thrown a spanner in the works.

How it unfolded

Liverpool entered February riding high on a wave of success. Betting odds compiled by BettingLounge had them as firm favourites to clinch the Premier League title by a comfortable 10-point margin, reflecting widespread confidence in their ability to keep winning. But football, as ever, is unpredictable.

The first major stumble came in the FA Cup—a shock 1-0 defeat to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle that saw Liverpool crash out of the competition. This event was followed by a gut-wrenching 98th-minute equaliser at Goodison Park, as Everton snatched a 2-2 draw against their bitter rivals. While Liverpool bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Wolves and a hard-fought 2-2 draw away at Aston Villa, it was their commanding 2-0 win against Manchester City at the Etihad that momentarily reignited optimism. Another 2-0 triumph over Newcastle at Anfield kept spirits high before attention shifted to Paris for the Champions League Round of 16 first leg against PSG.

Champions League exit against Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool arrived in Paris as favourites, but anyone watching the match would have questioned that assessment. PSG dominated proceedings, with Fabian Ruiz and João Neves running the show in midfield, while Liverpool struggled to find their rhythm. Yet football has its quirks—despite PSG's superiority, they failed to breach Alisson's goal. Then came Harvey Elliott's moment of magic: introduced from the bench just seconds earlier, he scored an 87th-minute goal that gave Liverpool a slender advantage heading into the return leg at Anfield.

A routine 3-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Southampton followed, but all eyes were firmly fixed on Europe. The second leg proved to be a Champions League classic. Ousmane Dembélé gave PSG an early lead, and both sides squandered numerous chances in an electrifying contest that eventually went to penalties. Liverpool's hopes were dashed as Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones missed from the spot, sealing their heartbreaking exit from Europe's elite competition. This defeat also meant that no more games would be added to Liverpool's schedule for the rest of the season.

Carabao Cup final heartbreak

Adding insult to injury was Liverpool's Carabao Cup final defeat to Newcastle United at Wembley—a match overshadowed by Trent Alexander-Arnold's absence due to injury sustained against PSG. Despite having recently beaten Newcastle in league play and being tipped as favourites once again, mental and physical fatigue seemed to take its toll on Arne Slot's men. Goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak left Liverpool chasing shadows before Federico Chiesa pulled one back late on. It wasn't enough; Newcastle lifted their first domestic trophy in 70 years, while Liverpool returned home empty-handed.

What's next for Liverpool?

In the space of a little more than a month, Liverpool went from talking about an unprecedented Quadruple to being knocked out of three competitions. But the season is far from over. Despite their recent failings, the Reds should be more than happy with their season. They are still 12 points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League with only 9 games remaining, and barring an almost obscene collapse, they will finish this season as Premier League champions, equaling arch-nemesis Manchester United's record of 20 league titles. Considering that a lot of pundits did not even have them in their top 4 predictions at the start of the season, that has to be seen as a massive success.

But Liverpool and Arne Slot can not rest on their laurels. There are plenty of issues facing the club. The contract situations with club captains Virgil Van Dijk and Mohammed Salah are unresolved. Trent Alexander-Arnold will depart on a free transfer come summer, and adequately replacing these key players will be crucial to ensuring continued success next season.

For now, Liverpool must focus on finishing this campaign strongly while preparing for what promises to be a pivotal summer transfer window—a period that could define whether they build on this season's triumphs or face setbacks in their quest for sustained dominance.