Written by Currently in the English Premier League the defending champions, Liverpool FC, are struggling to win games. Following their weekend defeat to a Fulham team near the bottom of the table, Liverpool recorded their sixth straight home defeat – an unwanted new record in their storied history.
There are mitigating circumstances of course. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the once frenzied support of home fans in the infamous Kop end, has been replaced with eery silence, as fans are unable to attend games. The high-energy style of play that brought the fans so many trophies in recent seasons has left the players exhausted and, for much of the season, without key players due to injury.
This is very different form from a team that won the Premier League last summer, a win that followed on from their Sixth European Cup success in the summer of 2019. For Liverpool FC, these two successes – and the exciting way in which his team has played – have provided many interviews and articles about the culture that Jurgen Klopp, their charismatic manager, has instilled during his six seasons at the club.
Much is made of what teams that win do. There are books specifically focused on the winning culture behind Barcelona FC (The Barcelona Way – Damian Hughes), All Blacks (Legacy – James Kerr) and New England Patriots (The Dynasty – Jeff Benedict). The culture of repeatedly winning sets teams like Olympique Lyonnais, who have won seven Champions League trophies since 2011, apart from those who win as a one off. Despite the culture at Liverpool FC being very similar to the one that propelled them to their first domestic championship in 30 years, the focus has moved to what troubles their culture may have or promoting the ‘winning’ culture of the latest team to rise to the top of the table.
As has been suggested in the excellent book “The Long Win: The Search for a Better Way to Win” by Cath Bishop, perhaps it is time to stop linking a successful culture to whether the team wins and redefine how success is viewed? There have been plenty of examples recently in which winning teams had a toxic or abusive culture – particularly in high performance. In the midst of the losing run, when star goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s father died suddenly, Klopp gave Becker as much time as he needed before returning. I would suggest despite the recent defeats, there is still lots to admire about Liverpool FC’s successful culture. A ‘winning’ culture – even when it isn’t winning.