Why this EPL title means so much to Liverpool FC and its fans

“One more push. One more job to be done. One more big effort needed, from each and every one. One more."Virgil van Dijk's matchday programme notes for the Liverpool vs Tottenham match sounded like it could be another lilting chant for the Kopites. You are never given a dream without the power to make it true. But it comes with belief, improvisation, resilience, controlled heartbeat, inner strength, teamwork. And all that cha cha.Above all, seizing the moment. Carpe diem, baby!The Abu Dhabi-installed emperors slipped from the pedestal and the so-called heirs from London took a tumble. But this season's overriding theme is Liverpool's story to tell. This one's for history.The club with a history of victoryWind back the clock to May 19, 2024. Liverpool finished third despite leading the Premier League after 31 matches. But it didn't matter at Anfield. All they needed was love as their favourite adopted son Jurgen Klopp bid farewell.He had turned them from 'doubters to believers', delivering a 19th League title after a gap of 30 years during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was the one who said the burden of history was like a "20 kilo backpack". Klopp’s goodbye was reminiscent of Kenny Dalglish's resignation on a dour February in 1991, months after Liverpool had clinched a record 18th title. For Liverpool's 'King Kenny' it was a traumatic emptiness after the ruins of Hillsborough, but no one imagined the years to come would be shockingly devoid of league trophies.The bronze statue of Bill Shankly in front of The Kop stand, arms aloft in his signature stance, with a scarf around his neck, and a footnote of 'He made the people happy' is a reminder of the working-class ethos of the club. It was a socialist aura that reflected in Klopp's demeanour decades later. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); The legendary Scot himself said that the league was their 'bread and butter'. His squad won it thrice. He also heralded the era of Liverpool as a European superpower with a UEFA Cup in 1973.A short stroll to the LFC store near the Champions' Wall and you meet the stooped figure of his successor Bob Paisley carrying an injured Emlyn Hughes on his back. It’s the depiction of a scene from 1968 when he was the club physio. For those who came in late, it was this man from Hetton-le-Hole who laid delicacies along with the staples on the table with three European Cups and six league titles.It was in Liverpool's boot room at Anfield - a 12 ft by 12 ft square - where success stories were hatched. There is this iconic image of Paisley and future managers Dalglish, Ronnie Moran and Roy Evans sipping tea with the backdrop of boots on wall-pegs. It was monochrome, a singular idea with different shades, and smiles that said all was well. There would be more to come. Having become a European elitist with 4 Cups in 8 years, Liverpool's obsession resulted in five more league triumphs, completing a cycle of 11 titles in 18 years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klrvA1DRviwThe great English drought, or were there signs?Then came the Sky Sports television boom of the rebranded English Premier League, globalisation of Monday Night Football, the 100 million-plus euro deals, and rising stocks which coincided with Alex Ferguson's Manchester United era. However, if you remember, his 26 years at the Old Trafford helm started with blips. In 1989, United were in tenth place in the league, and knocked out of the League Cup by Tottenham Hotspur. A home defeat to Crystal Palace on a freezing, miserable afternoon seemed to be the final straw for some Old Trafford faithfuls as they unfurled a banner, telling Ferguson he had to go after three-and-a-half years in charge.An FA Cup third-round encounter with Brian Clough's mighty Nottingham Forest could have changed history, but little-known Mark Robins delivered, what the English papers through the ages called 'the goal that saved Fergie's career'. United went on to win the trophy.The dream was to 'knock Liverpool off the f*****ing perch' -- a statement the master mental manipulator vehemently denied making once -- but it seemed like a tough, improbable task. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); It was a cold night in Merseyside of 1994. Ferguson's team had ended a drought with a first league title in 26 years, and a banner saying, "Come back and sing 'Ooh Aah Cantona' when you've won 18," was unfurled on the Kop.Fifteen years later, the Mancunians rose in the Anfield Road stand with a riposte of their own - "You told us to come back when we’d won 18. We are back.” The chronicles will tell you that Ferguson left with 13 EPL titles in 2013 and as one of the greatest managers. A fast-declining Liverpool were well and truly "off the perch" as Sir Alex departed with a parting shot of the club's 20th title. Despite watching the climb of 'noisy neighbours' City, this record-equalling title will be the one that rankles Ferguson the most. Them Scousers again!A title built on rejectionsThere are many who have undermined Liverpool's season. While City's slump helped, and Arsenal's failure to push the right buttons eased the challenge, Slot's Liverpool have been relentless in their pursuit. With only two defeats - Nottingham Forest back in Sept and Fulham in April - Liverpool have 82 points in 34 matches with 25 wins, and there's a likelihood of reaching the 90s, if the party ever stops.In a way, this title was built on rejections. Slot came in when former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso decided to stay back at Bayer Leverkusen, probably holding out for the Real Madrid job. One of Slot’s masterstrokes was placing fellow Dutchman Ryan Gravenberch in the holding No. 6 role after Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi, a prime target, preferred the grass of home. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}))}(); The title was also built on the house that Klopp built, with minor renovations. The only new addition was a cut-price Federico Chiesa, and the Italian was largely uninvolved. A data-crunching Slot walked in and went on to share the comparison of data from the title-winning season of 2019-20 and last season with the players, and focused on what he expected. Simple but effective changes.Former Reds goalkeeper Sander Westerveld told the BBC about his friend Slot’s routine at the Kirkby training centre. The day started early with breakfast at 9.15am. He introduced a breathing system called 'body wake-up call', players were allowed to stay at home before home games, and there were less intense sessions - something that may have resulted in a comparatively injury-free season. He brought in physical performance coach Ruben Peeters from his former club Feyenoord, whose expertise was periodisation, the science of individual training loads.On the pitch, he rejuvenated Mohamed Salah, whose season-high of 28 goals and 18 assists have been instrumental in Liverpool's charge to the championship. In interviews, Slot refused to let contractual issues with Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold distract him, happily swatting away queries. The Egyptian, for one, was bent on delivering the title to the fans, placing it on a higher priority than the Champions League.For Slot, defeating Tottenham 5-1 for the prize was like coming full circle even as fans celebrated a league title with the players for the first time in 35 years. 120696941"About six years ago it was the first time when I was here when Pep Lijnders (Klopp's deputy) invited me – that was against Tottenham and I think they won that game 4-0 somewhere around Christmas time," the 46-year-old Slot said on Sunday night. They also went to a U-21 game where Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez were involved. "I don't know if it's funny or not that we played Tottenham today. What I noticed from the first day I came in was that winning the league would be the most special trophy we could win," Slot said.It's Title No 20. Leave it for now to the new banner at Anfield which says: "It was always Liverpool".