History in football. It’s a funny thing. You either have it or you don’t. But at what point does history become secondary to the present? Certainly, clubs deserve credit for their achievements throughout their past, but if they are no longer winning on a regular basis, does that deserve more attention than what they have done in years gone by?

This conversation is never more relevant than in the context of the clubs from Merseyside, with Liverpool and, to a lesser extent, Everton, both exemplifying that point of view well. You would be very hard-pressed to have a discussion with a Liverpool fan without their mentioning of their European triumphs, or an Everton fan without a quick comment on their triumphs of the mid-1980s.  Both incredible achievements in their own right, but has this focus on the past simply become too much?

From Everton’s perspective, their last league title came in 1987 - with the Toffees now yet to follow up on that success for 30 years.  Similarly, Liverpool’s last league title came in 1990, and whilst a couple of major trophies have followed, contextually, the Reds have still struggled on the trophy front.

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Conversely, a club like Chelsea - who have comparatively less history on paper - have been, within the last decade or so, one of Europe’s most successful teams. However, instead of celebrating the success of the London side, the Conte-led outfit are lamented for their lack of success in the past, with fans across England, notably Liverpool fans, passionately shouting: ‘You ain’t got no history!’.

Under Jurgen Klopp and Ronald Koeman, both Liverpool and Everton are at a crossroads. Both stand on the edge of a new era, and with that, the time must come for a historical focus to dissipate. It’s now been five years since Liverpool won a trophy, but that tide appears to be changing under Klopp. Similarly, though Everton have struggled in cup competitions this season, Koeman appears to finally be making Goodison Park a tough place to visit once again.

Following Man United’s EFL Cup victory on Sunday, Liverpool were forced into a humiliating Twitter change to remove their line about being the most successful club in England - and that says a lot about how far the Merseyside club have fallen.

United appear to be on the cusp of coming out of their dormancy following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, and it is time for Liverpool and Everton do the same. Both clubs have the resources to bring their famous history to the present - and it is time for Klopp and Koeman to make it so.

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