Liverpool's odds to win a trophy: Jurgen Klopp's side defied the odds at Anfield to beat Barcelona, could they win the Champions League and Premier League?
Amazing things can happen at Anfield on a European night, but maybe none so unpredictably brilliant as the achievement Jurgen Klopp’s men managed to come back from the dead to shell-shock Barcelona.
Maybe Barca thought Lionel Messi and a 3-0 lead was more than enough to carry them through to the Champions League final in Madrid – they thought wrong. It seems whatever your lead is you need to be able to stand up to the wall of noise, the desperation, the emotion and the sheer willpower that Liverpool can produce under Klopp.
If ever a single game could sum up this amazing season, and Klopp’s tenure as a whole, then it was this 90 minutes of pure, raw, undiluted lust to make it back to the Champions League final.
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Klopp has continually preached togetherness since arriving at Anfield, not just among his squad and his staff but everyone at the club – most notably the fans, and how they and the players both responded was exceptional.
"We know this club is the mix of atmosphere, emotion, desire and football quality. Cut off one and it doesn't work - we know that," said Klopp.
Liverpool trophy specials
“I'm so happy we could give the people this experience. This club touches you like crazy, it's like you feel much more than others in these moments. It's really great, I love it."
It’s that solidarity between fan and player that was so evident at the end of the game, and one which Klopp built at Dortmund and has been determined to rekindle on Merseyside.
The likes of Gini Wijnaldum and James Milner were close to tears as they took the adulation of the Kop after the game, but every single player who wore red that night deserved a hero’s reception after running one of the best teams on the planet ragged.
This achievement is even more perplexing when put into the full context – firstly injuries as, while Barcelona fielded a well-rested Messi, Suarez and Coutinho, Liverpool were without Firmino and Salah and lost Robertson at half time.
When you through in the emotionally draining game they played at Newcastle on Saturday, plus Vincent Kompany’s 35-yard dagger to the heart on Monday night then the players had every right to roll up at Anfield feeling a bit sorry for themselves.
📺 No, it wasn't a dream Liverpool fans!
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🙌 Drink it in....#LFC #LIVBAR pic.twitter.com/AF9u1NRDjx
After all, Liverpool could end the season with a whopping 97 points and still not win the Premier League, so to be facing that prospect and having to overturn a 3-0 deficit against Messi and Barcelona you could forgive them for not being in a great frame of mind.
However, Liverpool have refused to go away all season, they will not stop pushing Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City – heralded as the best Premier League side we’ve seen – all the way to the line and forcing them to win on the final day to retain their title.
That in itself is an achievement for Klopp having had so much ground to make up from last season, but there’s still one game to go and after Tuesday night Liverpool, and perhaps more importantly Man City, will be fully aware that anything can happen in football.
Liverpool lost last year’s Champions League final to a couple of goalkeeping howlers and Gareth Bale’s wonder goal, so could count themselves a tad unfortunate, but they’ve responded by launching a monumental Premier League title challenge.
When that looks like ultimately falling just short then they managed this comeback of epic proportions to add to what is already one of the greatest seasons performance-wise they’ve ever produced.
If any team deserves to lift a major trophy this season then it’s Klopp’s Liverpool, but even trophies won’t ultimately define this season – the team Klopp’s built, the atmosphere, emotion and spirit he’s embedded within his players and the journey they’ve taken their fans on has been special.
Lifting some silverware would be the icing on the cake.
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