Thread by @nonewthing

The game model was so successful precisely due to exceptional/flawless recruitment and the big fact that they, after City, were the only complete team in all phases in the country.

They had first mover advantage.

The league has increased so much in tactical quality since then.

https://twitter.com/EBL2017/status/1477694340348719105

Even little flaws are going to be ruthlessly exploited. And when the margin of winning is Manchester City, there is no room for imperfection. None at all.

They have assembled what can be argued as the best first 11 in the world and despite the ethereal quality they possess, they

cannot keep pace with the perfection that is City.

The criticism is not that the game model is not good. It is that it is not as good as City's in the fine details of its intents: Liverpool still rely too much on the chaos going their way.

And chaos births unpredictability.

As I remember it, they needed a long string of last minute winners to keep it going in their 99 points season.

Chaos (or luck, whichever you choose to call it), even the smallest bit of it, is not your friend. It is a capricious bitch.

Inside Liverpool's model is a flaw that

means they can't keep pace with City despite having one of the most qualitative teams in the world, physically, technically and mentally.

Now, Chelsea are here. Arsenal will be there next season. Tottenham, too. United if they get a proper coach. West Ham, Crystal Palace,

Brighton, Wolves, Aston Villa. These are all sides with coaches who pay attention to all phases of the game. These are all sides with a great distribution of quality in their teams. These are all sides with money to spend and a good idea of how to spend it.

The EPL has become

ridiculously difficult and right atop it, striding the waves like an evil king with a trident to command the ocean is Pep Guardiola's City.

Perfection is needed in game models. You cannot give teams the slightest chance of getting a hit at you because they'll likely take it.

The only 3 sides who do not give other sides a chance to hit, purely on paper, are:

—Arsenal
—Manchester City
—Chelsea

Starting from next season, all 3 will have most of the qualitative and tactical advantage Liverpool have and all 3 will play with more caution than 'Pool do.

Alongside the rest of the Premier League, Liverpool's game model is going to have less return than it has ever had.

Only today, despite having the instigated chaos go their way twice, the other side had it go their way twice within 5 minutes, too.

Control the chaos.

Squad depletions and atmosphere factors are relevant but over a consistently large sample size, we have seen that Klopp's Liverpool are quite ready to go with the chaos if it is what the other team wants.

That tendency is exactly why they won't keep up with City.