James Milner recalls last season's remarkable 97-point title challenge as he remains stunned that the title bid with only one defeat wasn't good enough to lift the trophy.
However, there's one major change James sees in the Reds' dressing room and in the general atmosphere surrounding the club. This time both fans and the team are calm and somewhat confident. And that change of mindset is precisely why Liverpool might end the title drought by the end of this campaign.
"They [the fans] started getting quite nervous early in the title race last season," he told the Guardian. "It was the first time I had sensed that atmosphere at Anfield.
"But nothing really changes in the dressing room. The lads are always calm and confident and hopefully winning the Champions League settles people down. I hope they can just enjoy it. As much as people want the trophy, it’s the journey that you enjoy most.
"It’s so difficult to win the league. I’ve been fortunate to win it a couple of times [with Manchester City] and last year we were so close. We were flying. We were winning every week and felt we should be 10 points clear. And you’re still second. Last year, if you’d have said: ‘You’ll only lose one [league] game all season,’ I’d have snapped your hand off. But it wasn’t good enough.
"This season we have a team that can do it. I think there’s a calm around the club, both inside and outside, and people are confident we can get it done. But City are so good they’re capable of winning every game. The gap is not that big so we have to just keep pushing, and not worry too much about the title."
