Liverpool are Premier League champions with four matches remaining

Jürgen Klopp 's departure from Liverpool has been an example of how to handle this kind of farewell. Instead of falling into a post-Klopp slump and difficult times, Liverpool has rebounded with its second Premier League title in 35 years and has assembled a team that should continue to challenge for top titles in the coming seasons.

Klopp could have left Liverpool two years ago, when it seemed his time at Anfield was running out and his rivalry with Manchester City had been superseded by the City-Arsenal duo, but he chose to stay and leave the club in a position where his departure wouldn't be a detriment.

He helped regenerate the squad, especially the midfield, swapping pieces such as Georginio Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Thiago Alcántara for Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch , and left it ready for its new stage with Arne Slot .

He learned from the example of Alex Ferguson, who mortgaged Manchester United to a certain extent to win one last Premier League title before leaving in 2013 and paved the way for Pep Guardiola , to leave City in a better position when he leaves, or at least not in a worse one.

Slot , who has always acknowledged Klopp 's legacy, has reaped these rewards in a first season in which he practically sealed the Premier League title months ago. This time there was no dramatic run with a declining Manchester City side forced to fight for a top-five spot, while Arsenal faced a very inconsistent challenge, unable to reach the points tally required to win a Premier League title these days.

Winning seven of their first eight matches, Liverpool took first place in Matchday 6 and only relinquished it in Matchday 9 after drawing with Mikel Arteta 's side. They regained the lead in Matchday 10 and have held it until the end of the season. Only Nottingham Forest (0-1) and Fulham (3-2) have managed to defeat Slot's side, in a near-perfect season that is far removed from the drama of the battles with Guardiola's City.

Salah, the big culprit

This dominance has been greatly aided by the form of Mohamed Salah , who has become the competition's top scorer with 28 goals and the best passer with 18 assists. If he manages to get three more assists in the three remaining matchdays, the Egyptian will break the assist record held by Kevin de Bruyne and Thierry Henry .

This season for Salah , who at 32 has earned a two-year contract extension, has allowed Liverpool to make up for the lack of a competitive '9', because Darwin Núñez has not been up to scratch, with just five goals in the Premier League, and Diogo Jota , who has been injured for much of the season, has only contributed five. Help for Salah has come from Luis Díaz , who with twelve goals has broken his scoring record in a league with Liverpool.

This Liverpool side was aiming to win every title possible in November, when they beat City and Real Madrid consecutively. However, they've had to settle for just the league title after losing early in the FA Cup to Plymouth, losing in the League Cup final to Newcastle United, and being eliminated on penalties in the Champions League round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain.

Little prize?

The feeling isn't one of disappointment, because a league title is always welcome at Liverpool, but rather that the team's peak was capable of something more, and that this must be the goal for the coming seasons, especially when a couple of adjustments are made to the forward line, left back, and right back.

Also worth mentioning is the fact that, with three of their most important players not renewing their contracts for much of the season, Salah, Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold , the rumours of possible departures have not affected the stability of the group.

This is Liverpool's 20th league title, putting them level at the top of the league list with Manchester United. The trophy itself will be lifted at Anfield on May 25, in the final league match against Crystal Palace.

It will be the first time the Reds have been able to present the trophy to their fans since 1990, as in 2020, when they won their last league title, Jordan Henderson lifted the title in an empty Anfield due to pandemic restrictions.