I think a lot of Liverpool supporters will understand exactly where John Achterberg is coming from.
For years, we watched Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool push Manchester City to extraordinary levels. We watched Liverpool win 97 points and still finish second. We watched them collect 92 points three seasons later and miss out on the Premier League title by a single point again.
And throughout those years, there was always the feeling that Liverpool were trying to compete with a club operating with enormous financial resources.
Now Achterberg, Liverpool’s former goalkeeping coach, has spoken about what he believes was happening during that period.
And his words are pretty strong.
“I wasn’t angry or surprised. It only confirmed what I already knew. Over all those years at Liverpool, it was clear that we were fighting against an opponent who had an unfair advantage.”
That is quite a statement from somebody who was inside Liverpool throughout much of that rivalry.
Liverpool knew how difficult the challenge was
Achterberg worked at Liverpool for more than a decade, becoming part of the coaching staff during some of the most memorable years in the club’s modern history.
He was there as Klopp built a team capable of challenging Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City for the biggest prizes in English football.
And what a rivalry it became.
Liverpool finished the 2018/19 Premier League season with 97 points, losing just one league match. City finished with 98.
In 2021/22, Liverpool collected 92 points. City finished on 93.
Those are extraordinary totals. In most seasons, they would have been enough to win the league.
But Liverpool kept finding themselves just short of Guardiola’s side.
For supporters, those campaigns were thrilling, exhausting and ultimately heartbreaking. Every dropped point felt enormous because City seemed capable of winning almost every match in front of them.
Achterberg’s comments reflect the frustration that many Liverpool fans have carried for years.
The verdict has changed the conversation
The reason these comments carry additional weight now is the recent verdict in the Premier League’s financial case against Manchester City.
An independent commission found City guilty of more than 100 breaches of financial rules, covering a period between 2009 and 2018. City have strongly denied wrongdoing and lodged an appeal against the verdict. The final outcome and any potential sanctions remain unresolved.
That distinction matters. The appeal has to be dealt with, and it would be premature to treat every possible consequence as settled.
But the verdict has inevitably reopened questions about City’s era of dominance and the competitive landscape in which Liverpool were trying to win trophies.
Achterberg’s view is that it confirms what he already believed while working at Anfield.
And you can understand why Liverpool supporters are revisiting those narrow title defeats.
Those one-point defeats still hurt
I keep coming back to the 2018/19 season.
Ninety-seven points. One league defeat. A team that was relentless from August to May.
And still no Premier League title.
Then 2021/22 came along, and Liverpool pushed City all the way to the final day again. The Reds beat Wolves 3-1, but City’s comeback against Aston Villa secured another championship.
It was an incredible period of football, and credit has to go to the quality of the Liverpool side that competed so consistently.
But the frustration was obvious. Klopp and his players had to be almost perfect simply to stay in the race.
Liverpool supporters have long argued that the financial gap between the clubs made that challenge even harder. The recent verdict has given that argument a new context, although it does not automatically rewrite the results or decide who would have won those seasons under different circumstances.
That is why Achterberg’s words will resonate with so many fans.
He wasn’t watching from the stands. He was part of the club trying to compete.
Klopp’s Liverpool deserve their recognition
One thing I don’t want to lose in all this is just how good Klopp’s Liverpool actually were.
It would be wrong to remember those teams only through the lens of their defeats to City.
Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019, finally lifted the Premier League title in 2020 and collected domestic cups along the way. They produced some of the best football Anfield has seen in years.
They also pushed City to standards that demanded extraordinary consistency from both sides.
Whatever happens with the appeal, those Liverpool teams deserve to be remembered for their own achievements.
And if the case eventually leads to sanctions, the relevant authorities will have to decide what those should be. Fans can understandably debate the implications, but there is no simple way to replay a season that happened years ago.
Sunday’s meeting has another layer now
Liverpool face Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, and this time the build-up is about more than the football.
The financial verdict has added another layer to a rivalry that was already intense. Liverpool supporters will have their own feelings about what has happened, while City continue to contest the findings.
Achterberg’s comments are likely to strike a chord because they come from someone who experienced those years from inside the Liverpool dressing room and training ground.
He believes the club were competing against an opponent with an unfair advantage.
For many Liverpool fans, that will sound familiar.
But now the important thing is that the process reaches a proper conclusion and the Premier League explains what happens next.
I understand Achterberg’s frustration
I don’t think Liverpool supporters will ever forget those title races.
Ninety-seven points. Ninety-two points. Two seasons where Liverpool came agonisingly close to winning the league.
Achterberg’s comments bring all those memories back, and they underline why the latest developments matter so much to supporters who lived through that era.
The verdict is significant, but the appeal remains outstanding and the consequences are not yet settled.
What cannot be disputed is that Klopp’s Liverpool had to be extraordinary to compete with Manchester City during those years.
And if Achterberg believes the contest was unfair, he is entitled to say so.
For Liverpool fans, the feeling behind his words will be all too familiar.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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