Jurgen Klopp has lay hold of three finals since he has taken over Liverpool, but it’s time to confiscate and bring the European trophy back to Anfield.
When the final whistle was blown at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kyiv, the men shading red were guilt-ridden. Defender Dejan Lovren, who was sobbing, was not able to perceive his whimpering teammates around him. Repentant Loris Karius was weeping – owing to the fact that his direful blunders have drawn close to their fantasy. Colleagues with Liverbird upon their chest were tongue-tied and trooped to collect their silver medals, excluding Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool’s leading goalscorer was despairing inside the dressing room subsequent to his injury which barricaded their hopes in the game. The Egyptian was whining to Jurgen Klopp about the Real Madrid whip and his craving World Cup dream – which proved impractical at that point of time.
It was not an ideal measure, but the Reds boss was captured singing with his friends in the early morning. Perhaps, it was maximised lamentation, without a shadow of a doubt.
“We saw the European Cup,
Madrid had the f**king luck,
We swear we are being cool,
We will bring it back to Liverpool”
That particular clip went viral. It did not draw as a source of distress to Liverpool fans – as they stood in awe when the players, staffs, and even his agent were weeping in tears. But, he propounded that he will keep on pressing for the victory which would eventually gratify the supporters. Having lost the last six finals on a row, Klopp has affirmed that he would never be broken by a debacle.
“I lost the last six finals I was in. They were hardly the best days of my life, but they didn’t make me a broken person or whatever. For me, life is about trying again and again. If only the winners were allowed to survive then we’d all have to go. It’s all about experiences and how we use them and what we make of them.” said Klopp.
Feeling in amazement over the epitome calibre of football, Fabinho was not dithering to join Liverpool. A deal for RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita was concluded last summer. The Brazilian and Guinean paired up at Melwood Training Ground for the pre-season training, close to the side of the goalkeeper Loris Karius.
The club pinned hopes on the shot-stopper to banish the blunders in the final, but it was a thickset in his brain. The miscalculation was too far from him as he kept on committing glaring mistakes in the pre-season games. Appraising his form, the board decided to trade him out to Turkish side Besiktas. People don’t feast one’s eyes on that league, like Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A or Ligue 1.
The transfer board headed by Michael Edwards had their eyes fixed on Alisson Becker – who was winning over hearts in Stadio Olimpico. It took a then world record fee to sign the Brazilian from Roma – as he fits the bill perfectly. Nabil Fekir was subjected to interest from Liverpool, but the deal plummeted – indicating his indisposed knee.
The injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain made it obligatory for Jurgen Klopp to sign an attacking midfielder. Relegated with Stoke City, Xherdan Shaqiri was the owner of £12.5 million release clause. Swiss International’s traits were not brought into a question, but his frame of mind to work hard to win over the manager.
That’s it. The transfer deals were winded up for the summer transfer window. The fans were content with the signings for the first time in a while. The team showed flaws during early stages of the season, but the players fattened their transcendence as the days went on.
The Reds had won their starting seven games in all competitions until Eden Hazard destructed their hopes in the League Cup. The comeback against Paris Saint Germain proved the sorcery of Anfield and player’s endurance. Concurrently, Jurgen Klopp’s side was punching about their weight by competing with Manchester City in the league. The defeats to Napoli, Red Star Belgrade, and Paris Saint Germain would have proved fatal.
It would have proved fatal only to others, but Jurgen Klopp was already impulsing the Anfield crowd to be on their feet in the final game week against Napoli. Mohamed Salah trivialized Kalidou Koulibaly to hand over the lead in the first half. In the game’s endmost, Arkadiusz Milik was hankering for the ball to arrive at his feet. When Alisson Becker saw the inaccuracy from the defence, the shot-stopper rushed down the spot to narrow the angle. The Brazilian threw every part of his body and dived to save Liverpool’s day and enter the knockout stages of the competition.
After a gruelling fight with the Citizens in the league, the Reds had a 7-point gap during New Year. The January month which signifies shoddy record for Jurgen Klopp did not come to a standstill. The second game of the year saw them lose to Pep Guardiola’s side which proved to consequential.
Hankering after the league, Klopp decided to play the second-fiddle side against Wolves in the FA Cup. In spite of that, the side fought until the final whistle. This saw Liverpool’s hopes relying on the Premier League and Champions League for a silverware this campaign.
The demand to be the competitor for Manchester City is soaring. With 17 games left in the league, Liverpool drew only four games which came back to haunt them. On the other hand, the reigning English Champions have won 16 out of the last 17 games – the form which can only be demonstrated by Pep Guardiola’s side.
At the same time, the Reds were preserving their sublime form in the European competition. Jurgen Klopp was not prepared to take risk against Bayern Munich without the mainstay of the team, Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutch International is a shepherd in the backline and the Reds ripped apart the German Champions in front of their home crowd.
In the last eight of the Champions League, Porto proved to be a formality – like last season. Liverpool were drawn up against Barcelona in the Semifinals of the competition. It was a daunting task to overcome the team which debatably has the best ever footballer to have graced the game.
Albeit having supplemental shots and possession than Barcelona, the five-time European Champions were undone by three inconceivable moments from Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Kicking against the odds is not newborn to the Reds as they took Barcelona in front of their subsidized supporters.
Barcelona were subjugated by Liverpool in front of Anfield when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross found Divock Origi inside the penalty box. That subliminal delivery will not be forgotten at any circumstances for years. The Merseysiders engraving the opponents in front of Anfield is not old-fashioned. It was not a procedure neither, but the witchcraft of Anfield. Emotion was non-stop as the players, managers, and fans were inexpressible.
Jurgen Klopp has said that they have achieved the bridge to lift a trophy on Saturday.
“I understand that football is part of the entertaining side of life. So if we bore people constantly, why should they come? So we have to try to give them some excitement. Not only silverware. That’s obviously the main target. But between the start and the silverware, there must be a lot of good moments together. And we’ve had them.”
Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp are a dominant force. They missed out on the Premier League title, but will continue to be prepollent for years to come. Liverpool can dream for that penultimate trophy, but they need a silverware to inscribe themselves in the club’s history books. Jurgen Klopp will be desperate to bring back the Champions League back to Anfield.
