"We were the best team in the world until Simeone arrived"

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool stunned the whole of Europe and came close to becoming the best team in the world. However, Diego Pablo Simeone's Atletico Madrid crossed their path before the world came to a standstill with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roberto Firmino has recounted in an autobiography, due out on 19th November, how Atletico thwarted Liverpool's grand plans.

"It's no secret to anyone. We had conquered Europe, we had conquered the world, but something was missing: we had not yet conquered England. That Premier League trophy was the one the fans wanted. I have no doubt that we were the best until March 2020, when the planet stopped because of the pandemic.

"After 26 wins in 27 games, it was clear that the title was only a matter of time, and the goal had changed: we wanted to win the league unbeaten. But then we had a slump in the season. A small slump but enough to cost us dearly," he said.

"And one that perhaps, in the long term, contributed to us losing our European and global dominance. In February 2020 we travelled to Madrid. Simeone identified our style perfectly and found a way to nullify us."

He went on to add: "It was our first defeat [against Atletico in the Champions League] in five months, the second of the season, and the truth is that it surprised us. At that stage of the season we felt we were invincible, but we were not.

"Shocked by the Atletico result, we found out the hard way. Then there were three more defeats, which ended up being even more significant. We were the best in the world until Simeone arrived. We lost 3-0 to Watford, which ended our run of 18 consecutive Premier League wins and a run of 44 games unbeaten."