TONIGHT’S result should’ve been academic, the deadest and dullest of rubber — but yer know, Liverpool and that.
Such is The Reds’ penchant for the dramatic we were left hanging until the last group fixture to secure safe passage to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in nine years.
That it’s taken so long to reach what, for a period, was merely an assumption between 2001-8 is an absolute fucking disgrace and a stain on the leadership and management of Liverpool Football Club.
But it’s also a line in the sand.
Jürgen Klopp has come under quite a bit of scrutiny of late, from this no mark included, but tonight’s result puts a marker down, a tangible, undeniable statement.
Liverpool Football Club in the last 16 of the European Cup, walk the fuck around it.
That Liverpool will be in the hat for the knockout stages of the Champions League next week is without doubt The Reds’ biggest landmark achievement since Fenway Sports Group rolled into town.
But having reached this milestone we cannot look back, today’s achievement must become base camp, the minimum expected standard going forward.
It must be the start of the real ascent.
No back slapping, no self congratulation, no resting on our laurels, this is day one, we start now.
Too often in the recent past we’ve mistaken what should be the bare minimum for achievement as accomplishment, we’ve relaxed and soon after regressed.
But these boys, these boys, they are capable of so much more.
It’s easy to dismiss Spartak Moscow as cannon fodder — just as it’s easy to dismiss Maribor, Brighton and Hove Albion, West Ham United and Arsenal — but the frequency in which Liverpool are marmalising their opponents is far too much to be considered as a pattern of fortunate results.
Nor is it remiss to appreciate the pressure that Liverpool, having given up the initiative on various occasions and given away a three-goal lead their last outing in the competition, were under as they took to the pitch tonight.
This Liverpool, as evidenced for the second time in the competition this season, managed to ribbon their opponents and left the pitch seven goals to the good, recording 23 in total across the campaign.
Regardless of opposition, they are results that the big boys sit up and take notice of, teams just do not win by those margins with such regularity.
We now need to deliver on the promise of what we could be.
We’re absolutely a better team than the one that needed to see off Olympiakos in 2004 and we all know how that ended.
Bring on your Internazionale, bring on your Roma by the score…
Win the bastard? Why the fuck not.
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Wrote it 2 weeks ago: Meaningless draw with Sevilla. Sad Spartak didn’t score to let the moaners have some enjoyment, too. With all that cringe-worthy reporting prior to the match, I believe the support would have never pushed the Reds forward, if they were trailing by two goals difference. Now learn to back your team whatever the result.
No shit! Watched it on the telly and all I could hear was Spartak Supporters supporting their team at 0-3. WTF?! What is with Anfield these days? 54000 – Spartak tourists?
And the media can go fuck themselves.
As for the game, this was by far one of the most controlled, patient and dominant one I have seen Jurgen’s Reds play. What a way to dispatch a team to get into the next round in style and mean business?!
Now enough with the Everton derby crap. Derbys are yesteryear stuff when we had the likes of players who left some great physical reminders and weren’t afraid to tussle. This lot still need a pair to go at it and come away unscathed.
Since we have more brain than brawn and I hope the Reds can give them a great game and get on with business, as we cannot afford injuries at this point in time.
Feel for Albie. I hope he’s back soon.
Up the Reds!!!
Placement of the TV mics. If you’re the kind of person who has to watch streams, and switch Midway through that game, you notice one section of the crowd suddenly becomes much more intense. Crowd noise can really only be judged if you’re there.
I want more, the league isn’t dead to me yet and I’m also thinking about wining the CL. But, at the start of the season I was adamant that CL group stage qualification and top 4 would represent progress. It’s the one thing I need as a fan. We’re halfway there.
The Europa and League cup finals were a buzz but when you finish outside the 4 it’s difficult to feel like you’re good. Then we got top 4 and now we’re in the last 16. Back in the tournament next year and it’s a clear step forward.
You don’t go from 6th, 7th and 8th to winning the PL. Forget Leicester, they’re not the model we want. No, you need the CL before you can win the league. You need the players it attracts and yet again, players will be taking note. We’re now knocking on the door of the elite 5 in Europe. 3 or 4 players away from joining them full time.
So, let’s put to bed this debate of cups v top 4 and skewed arguments that lfc exists to win trophies. We don’t exist to win the FA and league cups, tho they’re always a welcome bonus. We exist to be among the elite. Anything else is failure. That’s how it is. If you want a good day out then go to Alton Towers. Europe is where we belong and Europe is our platform for proper success. The domestic cups are just going to Smokey Joes and feeling made up when you go home with a granny because you’ve been down on your luck.
well written Andy…”Win the bastard, why not”, i completely agree…why wait for next season to ‘strengthen’, momentum is massive in sport and we have it right now and we have an attacking front four that you would not swap with any other right now. We know this team is much better than 04/05 so why not go for it, it’s now knockout football and anything is possible!! we are good enough to win this and win it this season so believe lads believe!!!!!!
Only just over a week ago Klopp was being labelled by Andy as a magician who could turn victories into draws, despite us being on brink of CL qualification for first time in yonks. Which is it mate? We all get the disappointment after a bad result or goal and
Klopp can be scrutinised of course but he dowsn’t need all that knee jerk bollox which loses sight of the big picture which is positive.
Next time we lose a match, concede a goal, the saner amongst us need to get behind him even if we are angry with them.
Up the Reds!
It’s funny how the people who always state “of course Klopp can be criticised” always bristle everytime he is criticised. If you don’t think he deserved criticism for his performance in the second half vs Sevilla, and worse, his performance in the second half vs Chelsea, then that’s up to. But don’t pretend that people like Andy can’t praise the overall job he is doing or praise him in specific situations, and also criticise him in specific situations. This isn’t an either or thing. It’s possible to praise when he deserves it and criticise when he deserves it, you know?
Anyone notice Coutino hardly celebrated at all, I think he has already been sold.
You might be right who knows? However watching him from the knee crushing Main Stand L3 seats he put a shift in last night. For such a talented and relatively slight player he really put a foot in.
Cheers Baz, it is a recurring debate that will probably only be at peace when we win the PL and CL again.
My main point is that I firmly believe Klopp is the best man out there to take the club forward and we are already unrecognisable from the team team he inherited (in terms of style almost more than personnel).
He will make mistakes as will any manager. If the negative reaction to mistakes is extreme- I think it was in certain quarters to Seville and Chelsea, you disagree – it will in my opinion work against him and he would not want 50000 moaners in Anfield every week. If it gets out of hand, we end up in a managerial crisis.
Having said all of that, I remember a lad on the Kop in the 80s Barnes era who even if we were winning 4-0 would berate the team for a bad pass or something. He would say he was keeping them on their toes.
Looking at the reaction from the team to Chelsea and Seville maybe the likes of me are too soft as they have responded to the criticism maganifucently. Is that beacause of or in spite of? I don’t know of course but would say in spite of.