For the second season in a row Liverpool finished in 4th place and played similar football that saw them scoring lots of goals, but also conceding too many. However, the most memorable part of the season for the Reds was their Champions League adventure that started with the play-offs in August, but saw Klopp’s men going all the way to the final in Kiev, where two awful goalkeeper’s errors brought a painful defeat vs. Real. This way the opportunity for a memorable campaign was replaced by the simply average one.
Klopp’s most important action during this campaign was last summer when he bought Mo Salah and the explosive Egyptian had an amazing season in which he scored 43 goals, making him the best summer transfer of 2017!
Liverpool never looked like title-contenders after starting the season with just three wins in the opening nine rounds and painful away defeats vs. Man City and Tottenham. That said Anfield proved to be a solid fortress and the Reds went unbeaten on home turf in the Premier League all season.
Probably the best form of the club was hit between October and January when the Reds enjoyed fourteen-game unbeaten run in the league, they won ten of these matches, but as Man City never slowed down their pace the title looked out of reach come Christmas.
Liverpool’s defending improved in 2018 after the January signing of Van Dijk, but the main playmaker Coutinho left during the same month and with the injuries of Lallana, Can and Oxlade-Chamberlain the Reds found themselves short on options in the middle of the park come spring time.
Liverpool’s away form was what didn’t allow them to finish higher than fourth place in the league, with the results in March and April also affected by the fact that Klopp prioritised the Champions League and was using supporting players on the domestic stage.
Eventually the season ended with bitter disappointment in Kiev, but Liverpool were amongst the best teams going forward in the whole of Europe and if Klopp uses the extra cash he has this summer to strengthen the midfield and the back line the Reds could be much stronger next season.
