A defiant Jurgen Klopp has insisted that Liverpool will challenge for the Premier League title again next season following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign.
Prior to Sunday's final-day trip to Southampton, the Reds were already condemned to a fifth-placed finish and a spot in the Europa League for the 2023-24 season thanks to their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last weekend.
Despite an end-of-season revival, the damage was done for the Merseyside giants earlier in the campaign, meaning that their St Mary's finale with the already-relegated Saints was nothing more than a dead rubber.
Nevertheless, both sides produced an attacking masterclass and defensive disaster class in a pulsating 4-4 draw, which saw Liverpool end the season with a total of 67 points, their lowest tally since Klopp's debut campaign at Anfield in 2015-16.
However, having overseen an 11-game winless run in the business end of the season, Klopp expects his side to play more like their normal selves next season and is confident that they will be fighting for titles again in 12 months' time.
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"We played a bad season and we came fifth, that is a message as well. Imagine we are more our normal self, which we absolutely will be again next season, then we will be a contender again," Klopp said.
"The last 10, 11 games helped us to realise that again because before then from a consistency point of view [it was] a season very difficult to understand.
"We understood how we came into the situation, but there were so many moments when we thought we'd sorted it now and then a week later we saw not yet. That was the problem and that's it. It's over and now we can start preparing for the future."
Liverpool stormed into a two-goal lead at St Mary's through Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino, the latter of whom was making his final Liverpool start alongside James Milner, who wore the captain's armband on his adieu.
However, Southampton produced a magnificent fightback to turn the game on its head, establishing a 4-2 lead through Kamaldeen Sulemana (2), James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong.
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The Saints would not bid farewell to the Premier League with a win, though, as quickfire goals from Jota and Cody Gakpo ensured a share of the spoils on the South coast, and Klopp admitted that he breathed a huge sigh of relief during Liverpool's lengthy unbeaten run to end a troubled season.
"There were moments in the season where you thought the season would be four years long. Thank God [for] the last 10 or 12 games," the German added.
"I am not sure how long we didn't lose for, 11 games, so that helped massively, gave us a real boost, gave us perspective and gave us a basis for what we have to do.
"That it didn't turn into the best ever season, we see that, we know that, we are very disappointed about the fact we didn't make it into the top four, but there are moments when you have to admit there are four teams that were better than us. That's the truth."
Liverpool finish the campaign four points behind Newcastle United in the final Champions League spot, while boasting a five-point advantage over Brighton & Hove Albion, who will be joining them in next year's Europa League.
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