Sometimes when you’ve waited so long for something it becomes impossible for it to live up to expectations. For the past couple of months I’ve felt that this was going to be the case with this title win. While we hadn’t been able to celebrate a title win at Anfield in 35 years, it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that, as we haven’t exactly been starved of success.
We’ve won shitloads of other stuff, so we’re not in a situation like Newcastle were in recently when they finally got their hands on silverware. We’ve actually won the Premier League, it’s just that we didn’t get our “moment” with the team inside the stadium (or the open top bus celebration either for that matter). And we’ve also had a couple of very near misses where we had months of tension, drama and coach greetings etc
This wasn’t like that. It’s been over for months. Some of us have known for a long time that we were winning the title. Most of us actually, even if some were understandably reluctant to allow themselves to say it for fear of tempting fate. If you’re one of those, you can admit it now, deep down you’ve known for a while, right?
I’ve been thinking about it a lot this week though. Why wasn’t I as excited as I thought I’d be? I mulled over quite a few possible reasons which I can’t be arsed going over now as it’s pointless. And none of them were the reason it felt a bit underwhelming anyway. I’ll tell you what it was. It’s because it’s been so easy. There hasn’t been any jeopardy involved in this title ‘race’ for months. It was just a case of whittling down the games until it became mathematically certain.
That lack of drama is great and given the choice I’d have it like this every year rather than go through what we did in those battles with City. Nevertheless, that was much more thrilling and exhilarating. Until of course, it all ended in disappointment, frustration and the sense of feeling cheated.
I know it isn’t just me who had been feeling like that because going to Anfield for the past couple of months I’ve seen it all around me. There’s been no buzz. It wasn’t like those run ins when we were head to head with City when every game you could just feel the anticipation and excitement in the air. You could smell it. It’s hard to explain it unless you were there, but it hasn’t been like that. And it’s not because Klopp isn’t here, or the football hasn’t been as thrilling or any of the other reasons I may have thought it was at various stages. It’s because it’s been too easy and because we’ve known for so long that we would win it.
So, where am I going with this? As I said at the top, when you’ve wanted something for so long and built it up as some sort of Holy Grail, it can be hard for that thing to live up to what you expected it to be. And that’s what happened here. For 35 years we wanted this, and when it finally came it wasn’t what I’d expected it would be. It was better. Much better.
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