Fighting fit Liverpool left their title rivals in the dust

Miguel Delaney on how the Reds maintained their edge, and his other lessons from a less-than-vintage season at the top

- Miguel Delaney

So, that’s the 2024-25 Premier League final table locked into the records… a scenario that carries much more weight than that basic description might sound. The “imminent” outcome of the Manchester City hearing didn’t arrive, so its repercussions – whatever they might be – will not be felt until next season.

It remains remarkable that we’re still waiting for a verdict, although it consequently fits with a largely drab season that often felt like it was being drawn out. Even the brief civil war from City’s Associated Party Transaction case petered out, the emotions put aside until “the big one”, as Liverpool cantered to their 20th top-flight title.

England’s most successful club winning “20” will be the main legacy of the 2024-25 season, to go with the sensational bottoming-out of the other record-holders: Manchester United. There are some lessons from that, too. Aside from Arne Slot showing how a succession plan can properly work, even in an emotional sense, there was the science of it all.

A huge factor in Liverpool winning was that they kept their best players fit, especially Mohammed Salah and Virgil van Dijk. That again might sound elementary, but it elevated them far above everyone, particularly rivals downed by a chaotic new European calendar, with Arsenal unable to endure a number of costly absences.

That was far from just luck. Liverpool are the best physically prepared of all the top-flight teams, which afforded them a decisive advantage. The manager of their closest rivals, Mikel Arteta, is known to have been monitoring this with interest.