Normally, this would not be good advice, but just trust me on this one: Don't listen to Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Over the past weekend, the typically wise and well-spoken German claimed that Liverpool's goal for the upcoming season was to qualify for the Champions League and that "it looks like City in the end will be the champion." He's right that Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are the favorites to win the Premier League, according to the predictive models and betting markets. They have, after all, won four of the previous five titles.
But the other team to win one over that stretch was Klopp's own club, and in two of those other seasons they landed in second place by just a single point. Six of the eight best seasons in Premier League history come from Klopp- or Guardiola-coached clubs over the past five years: three for Liverpool and three for City. With some better timing, Liverpool might even have more titles than City. Given how many games they've won over the past five seasons (131 to City's 146), it really does seem like one league title is the absolute minimum that Klopp & Co. could've claimed. No wonder he sounds so fatalistic so close to the start of the season.
However, even the most dominant teams change from year to year due to roster churn, injuries, player performance gains, player performance declines, opponent adjustments and all the randomness inherent to trying to kick a round ball with a misshapen foot. So, with the sides set to square off this weekend in the Community Shield, let's take a look at all the different ways Liverpool and City dominated last season -- and what it says about what we should expect from the new campaign.
- Stream LIVE on ESPN+, Liverpool vs. Man City in the Community Shield, 30/07, 12 ET
