UEFA Liverpool (England)
Liverpool FC has a trophy-laden history that stretches back to 1892, indeed they won the Lancashire Cup in the first year of their existence and haven`t stopped winning silverware since. But it is in modern times that they have vied with Manchester United as the most successful club in English football. They have won 18 League titles and seven FA Cups and at one point, in the 1980s regarded the Football League Cup as personal club property, winning four years in a row. They have since added four more. But it is in Europe where Liverpool stand alone as far as English clubs go for they have won the European Cup/UCL six times, the last time as recent as May 2019 when they beat Tottenham Hotspur. The club stands just two league titles adrift of Manchester United and came so close to reducing that gap last season finishing one point behind Champions Manchester City but they still taunt Manchester United regarding the number of European Cups they have in the trophy cabinet, half as many as Liverpool.
PLAYERS
Liverpool are currently blessed with the most complete forward line in world club football, as good as if not slightly better than the Barcelona trio of a few years ago; Neymar, Messi and Suarez. But that is a debate for another time and place. In Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane Liverpool has a strike force that can score past any defence in the world. It is a force that basically tells opposing teams to do their best in trying to score against their team because they know, as does their manager, that they can always score a goal or several. The biggest plaudit that can be awarded Liverpool is that they fear no team, Manchester City, or Barca, just think back to last season when no one gave them a hope of reversing a Messi inspired 3-0 deficit in the Anfield leg with a 4-0 demolition of the best club side in the world, until then. That front three is so good that even if two of them are having a bad day at the office the other one will carry the goal-threat for them.
At the back Jurgen Klopp made his two best signings with goalkeeper Allison and Netherland defensive kingpin Virgil van Djke and with those two additions alone the German turned a very good Premier League sided into one that could become serious rivals to Manchester City and Barcelona as the best club side in the world. Something they will attempt in Qatar in December. But, as well as those players named, there is the sub-plot that has Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back on song as well as Adam Lallana, arguably the most underrated player in the Premier League. And the sub, sub-plot is the army of young talent waiting in the wings for the chance that will surely come their way if Jurgen Klopp has anything to do with it.
COACH
Jurgen Klopp was an instant hit when he arrived at Anfield and if one were to look back over 42 years there is an argument for the former Borussia Dortmund coach to be regarded as the best thing to happen to Liverpool Football Club since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish. He is tactically on a par with Pep Guardiola but where I think he edges his Premier League counterpart is in man-management. Yes, Pep gets more out of his players than they perhaps want to give but Herr Kop as he is known gets his players to do so willingly.
The 2019 FIFA World Club Cup in December promise to be a Middle East delight and I think Liverpool will be THE team to beat.
