I suppose a not too dissimilar question could be put to Arsenal fans, re GG's somewhat dour style. If he had stayed on as long as SAF and won a title in 98, 01, and 04 (but dourly), and there had never been any Wenger, any Bergkamp or Pires or anyone french or Dutch or Spanish. When we think back on greatness, we have to include the nearly alongside the champions - John Barnes I would say that the only time we could be faulted for not trying hard enough was that first half against Man Utd at Old Trafford - not, not trying hard enough. Not fully focusing hard enough.. because we were laughing mentally at how they had drawn and beaten us whilst we were a far superior team.... That was the problem we never recovered properly from.
Great post, @zaqualung , but you missed one very important name in your Wenger-era player nods, Patrick Vieira. I hated bloody Arsenal back in both the GG and AW days, but, man, let me tell you, Vieira was the prototype big midfielder! Despite his massive size, he successfully combined quick feet, great skill and toughness into his game. I mean, if I had to pick an all-time all-star type football team, he would be in the midfield. Anyway, the Wenger teams with lads like Pires, Vieira and (especially) Bergkamp [read: what an awesome football brain] were just plain, what my Aussie veteran friends would call, "hard." It was misery for an old school LFC Red-blooded bloke like me, mates, but the Arsenal season of 2003-2004 showcased an amazing group of players. Seriously, I have to hand it them, 28-12-0 are bleedin' awesome numbers!
The point I was making, obviously not so clearly, is that we failed to recognise that we had a problem because we kept doing the same thing and getting the same [head scratching] results. Those draws … Yet, there was a period this season when had injuries and absences and basically tore the league to shreds, surged up to the top of the table and were looking good to give Klopp a rousing send off with a title despite all odds.