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FSG on the transfer pattern of Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City for Liverpool success

Liverpool’s rise to the Premier League summit was noteworthy after everyone who came before them almost completely dominated.

And while they were relatively undisputed last season due to their first-class consistency, the Reds will have a very different proposal if they want to stay on the throne.

Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp can expect a stiff reaction from the chase. For example, Manchester City is expected to see stronger title inclination next time around, while Chelsea have signaled their ambitions with signatures in Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.

In the end, Liverpool finished 18 points ahead of City. While Klopp won’t expect such a big lead in 2020/21, a successful defense of his crown would cement his squad’s place as one of the Premier League’s biggest teams.

Obviously Liverpool are not the first team to approach the title. Below we take a look at three teams who ran away with things and what they did to extend their stint at the top.

Manchester United

At the turn of the millennium, when Liverpool saw a dramatic transformation under Gerard Houllier, United were the unstoppable force of English football.

United were brought on the wire by Arsenal during the historic 1999 Treble season and were clearly superior in the 1999/2000 season by 18 points ahead of the Gunners.

Sir Alex Ferguson, delighted with his crew’s ability to repeatedly beat up teams with their devastating attacks, made sure the harmony he had worked tirelessly in the Old Trafford dressing room was not disturbed.

This means that United has only signed one contract before the 2000/01 season: Fabien Barthez. This was a necessary step given the club’s goalkeeping problems in the previous season. Massimo Taibi was unable to achieve first place in a spectacular way after injuries to Mark Bosnich and Raimond van der Gouw.

And while Barthez later drew criticism for his risky approach to the goalkeeping game, the French World Cup winner had a stellar debut year between the sticks as Old Trafford club comfortably retained their title, finishing 10 points ahead of Arsenal despite their last lost three games.

The 2001-02 season, however, was a different story. While Ferguson was greatly strengthened with the addition of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Juan Sebastian Veron, United struggled after Jaap Stam’s departure. Aging Frenchman Laurent Blanc followed suit, but it didn’t stop United from scoring 45 goals as Arsenal took the title runner-up with Liverpool.

Chelsea

Following his Champions League heroics with Porto, Jose Mourinho plunged into the Premier League landscape and changed it dramatically with a spectacular debut season at Chelsea.

Mourinho lived up to his self-proclaimed “Special One” day and led the Blues to their first league title in 50 years, 12 points ahead of Arsenal.

The Portuguese manager’s performance is even more impressive given the scale of Chelsea’s recruitment program during his first summer at the helm. Well over £ 100 million has been spent on players like Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben and Ricardo Carvalho.

However, the following summer was much quieter. After Mourinho had put together and shaped its title winners, the club made only two major signings in 2005: Michael Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips. Squad players like Asier del Horno and Lassana Diarra were also added.

Mourinho was also quick to remove deadwood from his roster when Tiago, Scott Parker, Mateja Kezman and Mikael Forssell left Stamford Bridge.

The result was once again strong. Essien made a meaningful impression when Chelsea landed eight points ahead of Manchester United, although that lead would have been greater if the Blues hadn’t lost their last two games after they won the title with a 3-0 win against the Reds penultimate game had sealed.

Manchester city

After a disappointing debut season in England, Pep Guardiola would be absent for the second year in a row as his side reached an impressive 100 points in the city in 2017/18, landing 19 points over Mourinhos United.

Leading up to that title campaign, Guardiola made some significant improvements to the City machine, adding Aymeric Laporte, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy, Bernardo Silva, Ederson and Danilo as part of his bold rebuild.

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After City had strengthened in key areas and implemented its philosophy at Etihad, City was nowhere near as active in summer 2018.

Yes, Riyad Mahrez was signed for a club record at the time of £ 60million, but the Algerian was the only high profile recruit Guardiola wanted to consolidate.

Ultimately, the strategy proved effective as City withheld Liverpool’s challenge to claim a second straight title after a thrilling title race.

Liverpool

Liverpool, like the clubs mentioned above, have also spent a lot on their pursuit of fame. In the 2017/18 summer and winter windows, the Reds added Vigil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andy Robertson before snapping Alisson, Fabinho and Naby Keita ahead of the 18/19 campaign.

The feeling, however, is that the Reds will keep it relatively cautious in the current off-season.

Klopp has put together a team of champions. Kostas Tsimikas was taken over to compete with Robertson as a left-back, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Liverpool didn’t sign a marquee this summer.

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In addition, Klopp has started to attract players who do not play a prominent role in his plans. Adam Lallana joined Brighton & Hove Albion. More are likely to follow.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the summer turns out for the reds. Little to do in the broadcast window shouldn’t necessarily cause panic in the fan base.

In contrast, it has proven to be a key ingredient in continued success in the past.

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