Liverpool's dominance leads to talk of Bayern Munich-style dynasty

After witnessing Bavarian rivals' dominance as Borussia Dortmund manager, Klopp is now enjoying the view from the top at Anfield

Jurgen Klopp with goalkeeper Alisson. EPA

Liverpool's Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his team's second goal. AFP

Trent Alexander-Arnold after scoring the opening goal against Crystal Palace. EPA

Mohamed Salah celebrates after Sadio Mane scores their fourth goal. Reuters

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp before the match. Reuters

Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, centre, at the game. AP

Liverpool's Sadio Mane, right, celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal with Mo Salah. AP

Fabinho celebrates after scoring the third. EPA

Fabinho celebrates scoring the third goal with teammates. Reuters

Sadio Mane (C) takes a knee as he celebrates scoring the fourth goal. EPA

Liverpool's Sadio Mane celebrates his goal. EPA

Trent Alexander-Arnold (left) celebrates scoring the first. PA

At a little after half past five, German time, on April 6 2013, Jurgen Klopp let out a deep sigh. He had endured one of his more dramatic afternoons conducting his raucous, devoted orchestra at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalen stadium, and overseen a comeback from 2-1 down to a 4-2 win. But it was irrelevant.

Confirmation reached Klopp and his Dortmund players that their preeminence in German football was over, that the defence of the Bundesliga title they had won in 2011 and retained in 2012 had been terminated in record time. Bayern Munich’s 1-0 win in Frankfurt that April 6 made Bayern German champions, with Dortmund marooned in second spot, the race won with eight games to spare.

For Klopp, the disappointments would pile up over the following weeks. Bayern signed up Dortmund’s brightest star, Mario Gotze. Bayern beat Dortmund in the Champions League final. Bayern appointed the most glamorous manager in Europe, Pep Guardiola, to maintain their supremacy. Bayern went on to finish the Bundesliga season fully 25 points ahead of Klopp’s deposed champions.

As he reflects on Liverpool’s triumph in the Premier League, Klopp’s third league title as a top-flight manager and his first in England, he will be entitled to think back on that 2012-13 season and how it felt to see such a wide gap between first place and second.

Klopp’s own previous triumphs, near misses and not-so-near misses will be among the many different lenses through which to appreciate Liverpool’s Premier League title of 2019-20.

The date they achieve it will be another. This is the season that ran over into June and July because of a pandemic that at one point threatened to close off the sporting calendar long-term.

There were moments when Liverpool’s cushion of advantage over Manchester City, stitched together so brilliantly between August and February, might have been rendered irrelevant by the season being abandoned.

What will seem startlingly relevant in the future is not much the date Liverpool clinched the title, but the matchday. Nineteen years ago, Manchester United sealed the Premier League title with five games to spare, then the swiftest conclusion of a title race since the top division in England was rebranded. Liverpool have done it with seven games to spare.

That United team were already the holders, and had won the 1999-2000 title with 18 points of headroom over second-placed Arsenal. In 1998-99, famously, United had won the Treble.

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Liverpool season ratings

LIVERPOOL 2019/20 RATINGS: Jurgen Klopp - 9 out of 10: The likeable German deserves huge credit for overseeing the best start to any season by any team and delivered a first league title to Anfield in 30 years. Late goals were a feature of this Reds team often inspired by the manager's substitutions. PA

GOALKEEPERS: Alisson - 8: A campaign disrupted by injury but the Brazilian kept 10 clean sheets in 20 matches before the coronavirus-enforced shutdown, and another two since the restart. Continues to enhance his reputation as one of the world's best. Getty

Adrian - 6: The Spaniard endeared himself to the Anfield faithful by saving Tammy Abraham's penalty for Liverpool to lift the Uefa Super Cup in August. Had been a capable deputy for Alisson when called upon before his costly mistake contributed to Liverpool's Champions League last-16 exit to Atletico Madrid in March. Getty

Caoimhin Kelleher - 6: Young Irishman impressed in the cup competitions, making four appearances pre-lockdown. AFP

DEFENDERS: Virgil van Dijk - 9: Leads the league in passes to highlight his importance to Liverpool's attacking game but it's Van Dijk's defending that marks him out as a colossus. Few can lay claim to being the undisputed best in their position but there is no better central defender in world football than the Dutchman. EPA

Dejan Lovren - 6: The Croatian has slipped further down the centre-back pecking order with the emergence of Joe Gomez this season. Getty

Joe Gomez - 8: Powerful Englishman stepped up to the plate when Joel Matip suffered an injury early in the season. His performances earned him an England call up and it's no exaggeration to say he would have probably gone to this year's European Championship as one of Gareth Southgate's first-choice centre-backs. A big future ahead. Reuters

Andy Robertson - 8: One of the most accomplished left-backs in world football. An excellent defender who provides attacking impetus down the left-hand flank. Seven assists before lockdown and a crucial late goal in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa in November symbolic of team's never-say-die attitude. Getty

Joel Matip - 7: Injury and the form of Joe Gomez have limited the Cameroonian to only a handful of appearances. An underrated passer and still one of the club's most astute signings. Reuters

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 9: Already broken his own assists record for a defender with 16 pre-lockdown. Superb passer and his quality at set-pieces - as seen with his sublime goal in the win against Crystal Palace - is one of Liverpool's most potent weapons. Reuters

Sepp van den Berg - 5: Dutch defender, 18, is highly thought of at Anfield and impressed during the young side's League Cup run. Getty

Nathaniel Phillips - 5: The 23-year-old made one FA Cup appearances before being loaned to German club Stuttgart. AFP

Ki-Jana Hoever - 6: Stylish Dutch defender, 18, became the club's fourth youngest goalscorer when he netted in the League Cup win over MK Dons on September 25, 2019. Getty

Neco Williams - 5: Faces a tall order trying to dislodge Alexander-Arnold as first choice, but showed neat footwork and comfort on the ball as a replacement in the recent win over Crystal Palace to suggest a bright future. EPA

Nathaniel Clyne - NA: Once described as a 'machine' by Klopp, the right-back is yet to feature for the Reds this season and is sure to leave in the summer. Reuters

Curtis Jones - 7: Became Liverpool's youngest ever captain – at 19 years and 5 days – when he captained Liverpool's youngest ever first team side with an average age of 19 years and 102 days to a 1–0 victory over Shrewsbury in the FA Cup replay at Anfield. AP

MIDFIELDERS: Fabinho - 8: The Brazilian's defensive qualities help make the Liverpool machine work. Showed his development as an all-round player with a delightful chip and a scorching drive in the demolition of Palace. Hard to think Naby Keita was the more celebrated arrival at Anfield two years ago. Reuters

Georginio Wijnaldum - 7: Another productive campaign from the Dutch international is set to be rewarded with a new contract that will keep him at Anfield until 2024. EPA

James Milner - 7: Few are more dependable than the versatile Englishman. Used mainly from the bench this season but his energy and experience always add something to the team. Getty

Naby Keita - 5: The Guinea international has failed to hold down a regular starting place in almost two years at Anfield. Rumours that he will be used as part of a makeweight to bring Alessio Romagnoli to the club from AC Milan in the summer. Getty

Jordan Henderson - 8: No doubt the Liverpool captain is one of the finest midfielders around now. His drive, passing range and leadership make him one of the most important cogs in Klopp's team. PA

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 7: Emerged from serious injury that wiped out his 2018/19 season with some commanding performances for a demanding manager. Getty

Adam Lallana - 6: Klopp confirmed the former Southampton winger will leave the club at the end of the season. Mostly cameo appearances were highlighted by a last-gasp equaliser against Manchester United in October to maintain the club's unbeaten start. Getty Images

Xherdan Shaqiri - 6: Hard to accommodate the Swiss' talents in a team brimming with it in the forward positions. PA

Harvey Elliott - 6: Highly-skilled winger became the youngest player to start a match at Anfield, at the age of 16 years and 209 days, in the epic 5-5 League Cup draw against Arsenal having already become the club's youngest first-team player in the previous round against MK Dons. Reuters

FORWARDS: Roberto Firmino - 7: The Brazilian striker's goals return may be down - he is still yet to score at Anfield this term - but his import to Liverpool's attack is not. He still makes the front three work and still the hardest working No 9 in the league. Getty

Sadio Mane - 9: Fourteen league goals before lockdown and 19 in all competitions after a superb finish against Palace. The Senegalese has overtaken Mohamed Salah as Liverpool's best striker. Has been simply unplayable at times. Getty

Mohamed Salah - 9: Twenty goals across competitions pre-lockdown represents another impressive return from the Egyptian. His pace and skill are still a nightmare for opposition defences to counter. Even turned provider for his mate Mane in the demolition of Crystal Palace. Getty

Divock Origi - 6: Scored two goals as Liverpool beat Everton 5–2 in the December's Merseyside derby at Anfield to extend their unbeaten run in league football to 32 matches, which was a club record. Getty

Takumi Minamino - 5: Anyone would struggle to get in an attacking lineup boasting Firmino, Mane and Salah. The Japanese has been limited mostly to cup matches. Getty

PLAYERS ON LOAN: Loris Karius - 6: German cut short his two-year loan spell early at Turkish club Besiktas in April after his manager questioned his motivation following a string of poor performances. Has a deal until 2022 at Liverpool and may be retained as Alisson's understudy if Adrian is jettisoned. Getty

Harry Wilson - 7: The young midfielder has been one of the few shining lights in a struggling Bournemouth team. EPA

Marko Grujic - 7: Serb has spent the past two seasons at Hertha Berlin and seems his future lies away from Anfield. AFP

Sheyi Ojo - 5: Winger began his loan spell at Scottish side Rangers under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard in impressive fashion but petered out before the Scottish league season was called off due to the Covid-19 crisis. Reuters

Ben Woodburn - 5: Midfielder has spent the season on loan at League One Oxford United. EPA

Rhian Brewster - 7: Striker, 20, made three first-team appearances for Liverpool before being loaned to Swansea in the second tier in January. Has scored six goals in 12 appearances and will hope to feature more prominently under Klopp in the future. Getty

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There will be talk of Klopp’s Liverpool targeting United’s unique three-Premier-Leagues in a row - they have done it twice - and of a dynasty to be built.

Klopp will issue reminders that the elite end of English football is constructed to resist sustained dominance. Ask Manchester City, who only just held off the Liverpool juggernaut last season, having stylishly cantered to the 2018 title, 19 points ahead of second place by the end of that campaign.

Elsewhere in Europe’s major leagues, back-to-back championships seem an easier habit to develop, especially in the modern era where wealth accumulates more rapidly with success.

Juventus are chasing a ninth Serie A scudetto over the coming weeks. Bayern Munich have just captured their eighth uninterrupted. The first of the sequence, the one that so bruised Klopp in 2013, was the most emphatic in terms of the margin.

Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1 leaders by a distance when the league in France was cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis, have meanwhile been awarded their seventh championnat in eight seasons.

PSG are a club that, with their resources, utterly dwarf their domestic landscape. But they are also a cautionary tale against complacency. In 2015-16 PSG won a third title on the trot with eight matchdays to spare, and ended up 31 points clear of their nearest challenger. By a year later, they had lost that title, Monaco having overthrown the lavish spenders from the capital.

Juventus reached 102 points in a 38-game season in 2013-14. City reached 100 in 2017-18, as did Real Madrid in 2011-12 and Barcelona, ever eager to trump their rivals, reached their century of points the following La Liga season.

Liverpool will aspire to being the Premier League’s second-ever centurions and will easily make that target as long as, over the remaining seven games, they match their form from any seven-match run in the league campaign so far.

They might achieve at least a 20-point margin over second place, too, and set a new Premier League record. If they can make the gap 25 points, then Klopp would quietly make a note.

It is over seven years since he finished with his Bundesliga silver medal and glanced up at Bayern at the top of the podium as if Bayern were on the upper storey of a huge skyscraper. He’ll enjoy seeing what the view is like from the other way around.