After a rare trophyless season in 1986-87, there were some who thought the Liverpool dynasty was showing signs of cracking. The departure of striker Ian Rush to Juventus for £3.2m left a sizeable hole in the team, as the Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was tasked with replacing the seemingly irreplaceable.
“The coming season is going to be Dalglish’s biggest test yet as a manager,” the Guardian’s David Lacey wrote in his preview of the 1987-88 campaign. Others waded in too. “Dalglish has a lot to live up to this season,” John Bond commented in an exclusive Express article. “Time will tell whether he really can do it.”
