The moment Liverpool and the rest of the Premier League has been waiting so long for could be about to arrive.
With the case against Manchester City and their 115 charges for alleged Financial Fair Play violations having now concluded, fans will be eagerly awaiting the verdict, which will no doubt cause controversy.
City denies all charges and remains confident of being cleared – if found guilty though, they could face severe punishments, ranging from financial penalties to points deductions or even relegation. There is plenty on the line here, and not just for the Etihad side.
With the accusations spanning a nine-year period from 2009 to 2018, the possibility of titles being redistributed has been discussed, which would mean Liverpool and others could be handed some silverware. Since Sheikh Mansour took over at City in 2008, City has clinched eight Premier League titles, as well as three FA Cups and six League Cups.
There’s no doubt about the outcome most Liverpool fans would like to see, having been City’s closest challengers in recent years, resulting in the Reds missing out on two league titles by just a single point – although both occasions do fall outside of the period in question.
Nevertheless, having operated well within their means under owners FSG, Liverpool will be more invested in the outcome than most. In any case though, it will arrive too late for Jurgen Klopp.
The influential manager left Anfield during the summer with his place among the club’s greats secure, given what he transformed Liverpool into. Upon leaving though, there was one huge question that went unanswered.
"Everybody knows about the 115 charges, but I have no clue what that means. I only know the number,” Klopp said before his final game in charge.
"No matter what has transpired at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world - and that is truly significant. If you put any other manager in that club, they don't win the league four times in a row. That's down to him and his team.
Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool without knowing the outcome of Manchester City's case
Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool without knowing the outcome of Manchester City's case (Image: Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)
"Does that mean City can do whatever it wants? No. But I don't know what it did — if it did anything — and I'm not here to say they have.
"We will see. Of course, I would like to know (if City is guilty) one day. Everyone wants to know. But I will be somewhere else. The quality of Pep makes the difference so I don't worry about these things. We will see. It's not my problem and I am fine with what we have and what we've achieved."
And therein lies the problem, whatever the outcome of this case is. Even if Liverpool is handed some of City’s titles, there would be a distinctly hollow feel to them.
Klopp has now departed, and many of the players from that era have left as well. None of them ever got the chance to celebrate a title in front of supporters, even when they ended the 30-year wait in 2020.
There are plenty of rival fans who aren’t even willing to recognize that triumph, such is the ridiculous nature of tribalism nowadays, so imagine their reaction if the Reds are retrospectively crowned champions in other years too.
There’s every chance Klopp may have turned his back on management now, and being sent a winner’s medal through the post will likely not leave the German feeling satisfied. We of course have to wait to see what the verdict is for City, but it will arrive so long after the alleged misdemeanors that it has nearly lost all meaning for Liverpool.