7 Premier League Teams That Never Reached Their Full Potential

To say that Liverpool blew hot and cold in this era, would be a bit like saying "2020 has been a rough year". Probably the best English team in European competition during the 2000s, they would also be remembered as a team totally unable to string a single consistent league campaign together.

Under Houllier and Benitez, Liverpool achieved a fair amount of success. Winning the UEFA Cup in 2001 and the Champions League in 2005, the team established themselves as a formidable opponent in European competition. Yet, this era is also characterized by dramatic domestic collapses (Anfield, 1 December 2002, anyone?) and some of the most trivial transfers in the club's history. Diouf, Le Tallec, Cheyrou, Arphexad... You get the picture.

This unpredictability is exactly what made Liverpool such a tough team to face. On a given day, they could and did beat the best teams in the world. A combination of fantastic tactics, midfield genius and a never-say-die attitude led The Reds to many famous triumphs. Not always the prettiest team to watch, but one who knew when to give their best.

A second place league finish in 2001/02 and two third place finishes in 2005/06 and 2006/07 proved to be high points in the quest to end their title drought. The team was good enough to challenge, and the managers, especially Benitez, were tactically astute enough to get the most out of the team.

Unfortunately for Liverpool though, the standard of the competition in the Premier League increased massively after Chelsea was purchased by Roman Abramovich. There was no longer room for error, especially for teams who relied on confidence and form to get good results.