What the season showed once again was it's the ability to consistently smash the cannon fodder which ultimately decides who gets the title or the top spots. Our record against the top 6 was enviable, but our inability to beat sh!te teams was a disaster. Equally, although the league is physically demanding, the actual quality in depth isn't anywhere near so strong as SKY would have you believe. Once you get down to Everton in 7th, the top two basically smash them Home and Away every week, racking up cricket scores in the process. Also interesting that two out of the top four had no European football, obviously a huge advantage. Luckily nobody will have that next season out of the big clubs, although both the Arsenal and the Mancs will surely take the Europa League less than seriously early on, just to ensure they do better in the league next time.
Our ability to beat "sh*te teams" was our glaringly obvious Achilles Heel - this is why for me the campaign was frustrating. I don't think anyone would, or honestly could try and state otherwise unless they just want to be plain silly about things - which wouldn't surprise me from one or two.
I also believe, and stand by the point that once a few teams had seen how we couldn't cope with breaking low block teams down, after realising early on that we could just blow them away. This became the go-to manager's plan - even the ex-P.E teacher down at Plymouth earned himself an admirable reply by low blocking us. It was like every manager, was copying his previous manager's game plan that was effective against us.
The bliiiiip lasted too long to be considered a mere hiccup. It saw us drop off the cliff in keeping apace with Chelsea who were at one point 13 points? behind us, IIRC, then extended a handsome 17 point lead on us by the end of the season. Credit to Conte, he did well in his first season proper but that swing in point difference was largely down to our failings. I didn't expect us to win the league but there was some hope there from the beginning of what, was a fantastic start from us.
I have to say, while credit goes to Jürgen for taking us into the CL, I do think he got a few things wrong this season. He clearly underestimated the rigour of English football for one, and he'd been here three quarters of a season prior that. Then, we didn't change our shape/play until our 36th game! That is an extraordinarily slow reaction from the boss. It doesn't mean however had he have changed it prior to our 36th game things would have definitely have worked, but it was very hard to see any changes in our play at all since the turn of the year. It was at times like footballing insanity, doing the same thing over and over and hoping for a different outcome. Sometimes it would come, but it would lead you into a false sense of security, and then it would revert to type. That said, we changed the shape eventually, whether it was by design or circumstance (Sturridge coming back), is by the by, we scored 7 goals in our last two games and conceded 0. Being flexible and adaptable is something I think the boss needs to become more accustomed to IMHO.
Another point of note - Philippe Coutinho finished the season as top goal scorer. Firstly, credit to him for being the first Brazillian (a while back he did this and it pretty much went unnoticed), to smash Juninho's record of 30 goals from a Brazilian in top flight English football. The point though, Coutinho missed a fair chunk of football, so to did Mane, but being that reliant on goals from a #10 also highlights for me, the fact we need a proper #9 chasing down goals next season, and not just chasing down space and defenders.
Defense is an issue still, I saw yesterday Lovren (your mate) had a couple of moments, and while biased, I don't think it was a pen, but that sh*t can easily go against you 50/50. He's a liability, and there's no two ways about it. We also need fullbacks now who can offer width that we've lacked along with more attacking prowess in the final third.
When everything is said and done and putting aside his faults, Klopp deserves a lot of credit for our final league finish, and though I can only echo Robbie Fowler's words about finishing 4th, it's a foundation of progress that has been laid by the German. and something for him to build on. I like him, he looks, sounds and feels like a fellow fan, passionate about our success and it's one of his best traits that seem to reverberate around the whole club.
Next season Jürgen, we go again.