The Fulham result and a better performance, coupled with Rio’s star turn and the power of Anfield have Liverpool believing again…
THE difference a win makes.
The difference a second goal makes.
The difference a clean sheet makes.
Last week saw an unusual low in my Reds dedication. The reasons were manifold. The players at City, the overblown criticism of Paris (The target of the first-leg was to make the second one competitive. The manager’s been slated for not trying anything new and then tries something new – cue outrage and angst. I’ll never understand it), the price increases, the queues to get into the ground, Billy Hogan’s ‘yes, but…’ email and then Robbo announcing his inevitable departure. A testing time for the undersigned.
And then you see Rio score a beauty and witness his celebration. There’s the joy of the game. Those are the moments that keep you coming back.
And it was needed. A stripe of soothing balm on the razor burn of the last few weeks.
But it’s all about PSG now. It’s all about belief and concentration.
Say what you like about their ownership and league (and I do), but they’re a hell of a team. Not many Champions League finals end in an absolute hammering, not many European giants leave their ground with much. They’re fantastic to watch. Well, they’re fantastic to watch against anyone other than us.
And they’re a better side than us. They just are and I’m fine with acknowledging that. The Champions of Europe have more than an edge over the Champions of England. Mind you, they are owned by a nation.
And it shouldn’t mean a thing. It really shouldn’t. Barcelona know about that. The magnificent Milan side of 2005 will remember it to this day.
Because you’ve got to have hope. Hope, belief and concentration. There’s no point to this game unless you can isolate 90-plus minutes with no recourse to anything that’s happened before. Just eleven lads against eleven other lads.
There’s no shame in going out to a side like that, but the least we want is to panic them. The very least we expect is for all players to leave the field utterly exhausted.
An early goal for the Reds and …
These games usually create a talisman. We had Divock Origi against Barcelona. We had an unlikely goalscorer in Vladi in Istanbul. Could this be ‘the Joe Gomez game’? Jesus, imagine!
There’s a question about playing Rio. I would. Their fullbacks are incredible, arguably the best in the world, and penning them back as much as possible would go a long way to making a very difficult job a little easier. What’s the worst thing that could happen? It’ll do his development the world of good.
And I’d start Isak now. Maybe that’s been the plan over the last few games. To get him ready for the biggest game of the season. We haven’t seen the best of him before his injury so if there’s one match where he could really announce himself, it’s this one.
I know. You can’t rely on a hypothetical narrative to get through these things. It’s just that we rather attract them and if prayers to the footballing Gods are needed, I’m willing to get involved.
Sing your hearts out for them. Damage your throat for the causes. Never give up. Don’t become frustrated. Scare the life out of Luis Enrique. Give us something to shout for this season. Don’t give Billy Hogan so much as a quid in the ground.
We shouldn’t be allowed to do this, so let’s do it.
