Liverpool's Champions League journey could come full circle in 2020

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool tenure has come a long way since he announced himself as 'The Normal One' during his first press conference as Liverpool manager. The German has spent a number of transfer windows getting rid of the deadwood in the Liverpool team, while the Liverpool club management has also assisted the German with a number of shrewd signings. Out went players like Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho, Christian Benteke and in came Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.

Klopp led Liverpool to their first European final since 2007 in his first season in charge. Since then, Liverpool have made consecutive appearances in the Champions League final in recent seasons. The 2017-18 Champions League final saw Liverpool succumb to a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid, thanks largely to Loris Karius’ errors in goal. The next season, however, Liverpool would once again make it to the Champions League final, going one better than last season and emerging winners in the final against Premier League rivals Tottenham. The 'mentality monsters’ tag was finally bestowed upon the Reds.

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This season, Klopp’s Liverpool will look to achieve a historic feat of making it to three Champions League finals in three consecutive seasons. Should that occur, Liverpool could better archrivals Manchester United's peak a decade ago under Sir Alex Ferguson. Liverpool are certainly creating a legacy for themselves even in the Premier League, having lost just one game in their last 52 matches.

It is a laudable feat considering that first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker missed the start of the season. Becker's presence on the pitch is a major shot in the arm for the Liverpool defence. His shot-stopping abilities and Brazilian genes making him good with the ball at his feet is a huge sigh of relief for the club.

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Liverpool's other main men

In Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool have arguably the best full-back duo in club football, whereas teams have struggled to contain the dynamic attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah. Virgil van Dijk has not quite been the dominating presence that Liverpool fans have grown accustomed to seeing, but the Dutchman has nevertheless marshalled the side's defence well this season. The fact that Liverpool have maintained this level of consistency so far without the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri playing major parts in their campaign, will be scary for their rivals, both domestically as well as in Europe.

The words ‘mentality monsters’ have been repeatedly bandied around by Jurgen Klopp when describing his Liverpool team this season. The Reds’ last four games have seen them win by a maximum margin of two goals, whereas the only time they have dropped points this season was during the visit to Old Trafford in October. Liverpool have proven time and time again that they can beat the best of Europe, as evident by their second-leg win over Barcelona in the Champions League last season. If the Reds can navigate through a busy Christmas period without any major injuries, Liverpool will be well-positioned to make it through to three Champions League finals in three years. The question is, can they achieve the rare double of winning the Premier League and the Champions League in the same season?

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