Before the Premier League games were suspended, Liverpool enjoyed a commanding lead over rivals that league officials thought of awarding the title to the Merseyside club. The plan was to advance the presentation of the championship to the Reds in anticipation of the disruption that coronavirus pandemic will cause, a new report said.
However, the side of Jurgen Klopp was unable to lift the trophy as events overran the supposed plan. Following the rapid spread of COVID-19 that saw Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta testing positive for the killer bug, the season was suspended in the second week of March and all football in Europe and around the world came to a halt.
The Mirror said Liverpool would have been the Premier League title winner even before the lockdown as there was a secret plan to award the crown.
"Top level talks took place to try and bring forward the presentation amid the growing fear of uncertainty in football because of the coronavirus ... Talks had taken place about then taking the trophy to Anfield, making the presentation in front of the home fans and allowing Liverpool to celebrate their landmark moment," the report claimed.
Had the plan played out as expected, the Reds were supposed to lift the trophy on March 21 and the club will be allowed to go on a trophy parade. As things turned out, the events that happened proved faster than Premier League officials could've anticipated and it appeared now that the league has something different in mind.
In a recent statement, league officials said the games will be resumed possibly at the start of June and matches will likely be played by behind closed doors. This was in contrast to earlier suggestions that the season is declared null and void, which would that Klopp and his squad will miss out on the championship.
According to Liverpool Echo, the Reds are only two games away from the title and is 25 points clear of Manchester City, the No. 2 team on the table. It would make sense that the Klopp-led club will be declared title winner and would have ended Liverpool's wait of 30 years for the domestic crown.
The secret plan, however, was not implemented and going by the recent statements from Premier League officials, the chance is slim for Liverpool to get the title using the standings when games were suspended.
The more preferable option is the restart of the season and games will be played without spectators. Most likely, Liverpool will still end up the season winner but the Reds will be lifting the trophy in Anfield minus the crowd.
This is better though as the alternative offered by UEFA is uninviting. The body said the season could be lost if Premier League fails to resume by the end of June.
