LIVERPOOL versus Manchester United. In Europe. For the first time in history. In the 195th meeting between the giants.
Steven Gerrard will be gutted he is not lacing up for it. Jamie Carragher will provide analysis on the game, but that is no substitute for getting stuck in on the pitch.
Rafa Benitez may be linked with Newcastle, but it is the Anfield dugout he would love to be in more than any other tonight. If John Barnes could return to the peak of his powers, he’d want to be involved. Luis Suarez was at Melwood this week and if it were remotely possible, he wouldn’t think twice about lining up at Anfield under the lights.
Gary Neville could tell you how much he’d still love to be part of the hate in Spanish. Alex Ferguson will be watching while twisting and tearing internally at not being a part of such a notable fixture.
There will be multiple voices diminishing the importance of Thursday’s showdown. There have already been multiple voices diminishing the importance of Thursday’s showdown:
“It’s only the Europa League.”
“It’s only the round of 16.”
“Look how far they’ve fallen.”
“Look how low they’ve been left.”
Ignore that noise. The sound that will matter will be inside Anfield and inside Old Trafford. It will tell you all you need to know.
Liverpool versus Manchester United. In Europe. For the first time in history. In the 195th meeting between the giants.
Would both sides have wanted the fixture to be marked in the Champions League? Of course. But as Jürgen Klopp pointed out this “is not a dream land” and Louis van Gaal spoke of not living in the past and “facing reality.
That the fierce foes are not facing off on the continent’s biggest stage only adds importance to this two-legged tie.
Liverpool and United are both trying to stick their heads above the flux of recent seasons, and for the victors of the last-16 fight, progression in the competition takes them a step closer to where they truly want to be.
Neither side is a dominant force as was the case for decade upon decade and neither side have been able to consistently unravel opponents.
And yet, the world over – these remain the two biggest English clubs in the game. Klopp used to watch this fixture from afar, never imagining he would be so fortunate to fully experience it. Van Gaal, who has been at the helm of powerhouses Barcelona and Bayern Munich, has referenced the special feeling of this enmity.
The tie matters for everyone that matters. And it can act as the springboard for the side left smiling at the aggregate scoreline. The squads are up for it, the managers are ready to spar, the backroom teams have done their plotting and the banners are readied.
Ahead of the draw for the round of 16, Kopites were after an away day further afield. Sunny Spain, beer-soaked Germany, picturesque Italy… But once Klopp revealed he wanted nothing else but the trip up and down the M62, the mood was set.
INTO THESE!
Wayne Rooney scored the only goal with United’s only shot on target in the German’s first sampling of the rivalry. And he wants revenge for that defeat. His players are desperate for it, too.
Van Gaal’s men have won the last four meetings between the clubs and have never before recorded five in succession. The Reds will sweat to keep it that way.
Klopp called for Reds supporters to “create an absolutely new level” with the atmosphere as Liverpool attempt to smother United on and off the pitch. The hosts’ relentless pressing must be matched by relentless encouragement from the terraces.
Come the final whistle, there should be no dissenting voices over how much this fixture still means. Over these two legs, nothing else matters.
Liverpool versus Manchester United. In Europe. For the first time in history. In the 195th meeting between the sides.
– More from The Anfield Wrap on tonight’s big game:
Great read as always melissa. Im in the sandon waiting on my tickets and a swiss guy next to me tells me hes a big liverpool fan. I show him the gerrard anderson pick from the article and ask if he remembers that? He says no i remember when he slipped against chelsea. Fucking shithouse…must be a manc under cover!
Swill him!
Good piece but just to be pedantic the song is if you hear the noise from the BILLY Shankly boys not Bill Shankly boys, just saying.
This game leaves me no time for flowery prose. Maybe. Let’s see where this steam engine goes off the rails, aye? Owen disqualified. I have no metaphors for him.
Klopp was “Found out”. More on that later mate, you have to wait. Not quite ready to plunge the knife.
Pundits are all sloths with dyslexia. Sometimes ADD. Always too loud. Unfortunately they aren’t children with learning differences rather grown men of questionable intellect. Last time I checked, Sloth is a sin. The rags writing about WAGs and headlines about players buying cars. Maybe you should have been paying more attention because that train derailed. Didn’t even need to get bloody for that.
Thank you United, that’s too many times to write off our killings, we’ve gone serial now, no more room on the wall for scalps. We’re greedy, we want bags.
We can awaken for more. We can hunt again, some of them look famished by george, let Lallana feast.
Spin a tale they did. To be feared a year from now, Klopp needed his own players. Talks of “overhauls” and the moniker “not good enough” are now smoke. Blowing ever higher, they were all full of hot air. Klopp turned a tiny Pole into the might of Munich, did anyone not even consider for a moment what he’d do when given Firmino?
No the lads were great. Ratings? Why bother. Everyone gets a 1 because giving out 10’s just doesn’t feel right, though I’d give the Brazilians the benefit of the doubt. Brazil has brought us many great things. Gave us Lucas and waxing. Gave us Firmino and that miracle.
Gave us a Coutinho and he brought the Mojitos and now we’re drunk on the quicksilver that are his feet. Stuck as fast and hard as he moves the ball. The pure power to win games with a swing and a dip and those three points are ours.
But wrap up our killing spree I’ll leave you in style.
What if no one found out Klopp,
Wait for the brake, DJ play that back and backward 96 times. The Devil’s had his go at a roar.
Those Devils making a mockery of the color red, what if they just showed Klopp has figured them out.