The Question Can Liverpool win the Champions League and a sixth European Cup this season
Channel: AnySports
Date: 2018-03-06

Liverpool’s history is a stalker, and now they are back in the quarter-finals the reminders of what’s gone before become more frequent.

In fairness, chanting about Istanbul was the only way to keep entertained in a monotonous second leg, the tie already won three weeks ago.

But there are occasions you suspect Klopp would willingly impose a restraining order on the club’s past as he seeks to inspire the next generation without sensing the heavy breath of those who tread a glorious path before.

Reducing European nights at Anfield to testimonial pace is certainly a break with tradition – the lack of tension here inevitable with Liverpool protecting a 5-0 lead. So too is the luxury of resting star players such as Mohamed Salah. It is another example how this Liverpool side has far more quality and depth than the side that actually won the competition under Rafael Benítez.

Anfield’s honours board is more assistance than hindrance, of course. The romantic tales of yore are fundamental to Liverpool’s ability to lure. Without it you could argue coaches of Klopp’s ilk would not be at the club.

That does not also mean it is not – just occasionally – a pain in the backside to those seeking to create their own European memories.

Too often the Istanbul question is worthy of a roll of the eyes, in danger of being misappropriated in the services of cliché. By becoming the first Liverpool team to reach the quarter-final since 2009, this team is already in a position to create new memories without the compulsion to summon the spirit of others.

Are managers of other English clubs expected to undergo the same journeys through time when considering what comes next? Is a mention of Barcelona in 1999 a pre-requisite of any Jose Mourinho press conference? Does persistent questioning as to whether Chelsea players can recreate the spirit of Munich in 2012 shadow Antonio Conte?
Whenever Klopp is asked about replicating Benítez’s team, one is put in mind of how the Spanish coach felt when asked if he could repeat Gérard Houllier’s treble winning season. Or how Houllier responded when quizzed on the difficulties of recreating the 60s, 70s and 80s. Both were uninterested and sometimes irked by it, but were able to make the step from history chaser to history maker. Both are now guaranteed the VIP seat on the nostalgia trips, but they will empathise with Klopp. He too is obsessed with doing it his way and we have already witnessed how different that is.

Istanbul has its place in the club museum and each May 25th, celebrated for what it meant then and what it will always mean to those who revelled in it, but it has no bearing on whether this Liverpool team will win the club’s 6th European Cup.

 Liverpudlians are masters of storytelling and, as Houllier and Benítez demonstrated in 2001 and 2005, visionaries are not interested in repeats. They created something fresh and dynamic, standing alone from what had gone.

The attention now turns to the quarter-final, Klopp and Liverpool asked to consider which side they would most like to avoid. A raucous Anfield will be bottom of the wanted list of every other side. That was not the case with a weaker time that achieved the improbable 13 years ago.

Klopp, inevitably, will dutifully and deferentially acknowledge the reminders of Istanbul every time he walks onto that Uefa stage.

But he will be maintaining the finest traditions of Liverpool’s heritage by glancing over his shoulder with little more than respectful, ceremonial curiosity.

He is far more interested in ensuring the Liverpool flag flies at another Champions League final venue, giving his players and fans another topic of conversation – Kiev in 2018.

Moment which changed the match
Only a Liverpool calamity was going to change the direction of this tie. It never looked likely. Only Salah’s late introduction brought excitement.

Most influential player

Emre Can: It was an evening for disciplined midfielders, Liverpool’s high pressing game applied rarely. He controlled the tempo – or what there was of one.

Crowd rating
There were a few attempts at making this seem a ‘normal’ tie, but with 5-0 lead rallying cries were unnecessary. 5/10

Referee rating
Felix Zwayer (Ger) had nothing to do. 7/10

Match rating
This was a Liverpool European night in name only, lacking the intensity and noise. It will be different in the next round. 3/10