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James Milner has more experience in the Premier League than any player in history for a reason, and he was a huge factor in changing the expectations at Liverpool.
Arriving on Merseyside in 2015, Milner came with the pedigree of a title winner at Man City, and he wasted no time in imparting some wisdom on his new teammates — who were yet to get over the line in that respect.
He was part of the Man City side that pipped Liverpool to the title in 2013/14 by a margin of two points. It was a wound not yet healed by the time he arrived at Anfield, and Milner says it was up to him to set them straight.
What does Arne Slot have to do to win you back next season❓💭
Credit: James Gill/Danehouse/Getty Images James Milner shut down the ‘almost’ talk after Liverpool’s Premier League heartbreak
It may have happened a year before Milner joined, but the loss of the title back in 2014 — the famous slip and all the rest — still played on the minds of the players.
The 40-year-old wasn’t impressed with that mindset.
Appearing on That Peter Crouch Podcast, he recalled: “Obviously Stevie had just gone, and that void. The first thing I remember at Liverpool was ‘the year we nearly won the league, the year we nearly won the league’.
“It was said constantly, and that for me, I was like we have to get rid of that straight away. You didn’t win the league. And so I used to banter, you know, ‘you didn’t win the league, we won the league’. And you you need to move on, otherwise it’s just a hangover.”
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
For a team yet to taste the glory of winning a major trophy, the feeling of coming so close is naturally going to sting. But Milner was right — holding onto it was a waste of energy. Liverpool needed to look ahead.
James Milner set the standards at Liverpool
It’s no coincidence that Milner has been at the top level of English football for as long as he has.
He knows how to win, and more importantly, he knows how to help others win. He and Jordan Henderson were the leaders of the dressing room as Liverpool attempted to get back to the mountaintop.
And they did exactly that, winning the Premier League and Champions League as well as a host of cups during his eight-year spell.
Where do you rank James Milner in the pantheon of Liverpool greats?
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA
Looking at the present day, there are lessons to be taken from someone like Milner. With so many senior figures departing, Liverpool must ensure they have players like Milner and Henderson to set and maintain the standards if we are to see more major trophies at Anfield in the coming years.
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