Trent Alexander Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk
The injection of new faces in Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho, along with the progress of Harvey Elliott and the impact of a gaggle of promising youngsters, gave reason to look forward rather than back on agonisingly falling short in their attempt for a remarkable quadruple having already snaffled the League Cup and FA Cup. It all began, though, with the parade around Liverpool less than 24 hours after events in the Champions League final in Paris. And while the reaction among the players at the time was well recorded, only now is the full impact of the rousing reception from hundreds of thousands of supporters littered across the route truly being felt.
Joe Gomez said: “Genuinely, it was one of the best days of our lives. To come off the back of the disappointment of the Champions League final, I think more than anything it caught us by surprise. We got on the bus and we were all pretty drained, and pretty apprehensive because we didn’t know what to expect. It all felt a bit awkward. There was a bit of uncertainty, although what we’d already won that season meant it was deserving of a parade. But we knew what the main goal was and to miss out on that and have that disappointment immediately going into the parade meant we had a bit of doubt about the decision. But that was completely eradicated when we saw the support.”
The value of that backing was seen throughout the campaign with supporters delighted to be back inside stadia having been locked out for almost all of the previous 15 months due to coronavirus restrictions. Pandemic football didn’t suit Klopp and his squad, and they benefited more than most with it being hopefully banished to history.
Virgil Van Dijk said: “Obviously I’m looking forward to the season ahead, a season with a lot of teams strengthening their squads which will make the Premier League even more attractive than what it was. We obviously strengthened as well. It’s hopefully going to be a very exciting season. It was obviously a tough end to the season physically and mentally. But we went into the break with our heads held high, we played all the games we could have played. Unfortunately we couldn’t win the league, very close with the amount of points and playing against a very, very good team as well. And the Champions League was obviously a disappointment. Now it’s a new year, new chances, everyone starts from scratch and we will give it our best.”
But no matter what transpires over the next 10 months, the hours immediately after the Champions League final defeat may well prove pivotal in setting the tone for what is to come.
