Weird anniversary and the spirit of the past
Very often in sports, we overlook the importance of the fans and the atmosphere. I grew up loving the game of football because of the atmosphere at a football match. The meaning, the passion, the emotion, the togetherness of the football fans throughout 90 minutes are just a few things that made me fall in love with the game.
Today is the anniversary of the last European football game played in front of a packed stadium. No one could foresee the horrific events that will unfold in the months to come. For about three hours on the 11th of March 2020, we enjoyed the last truly magical game of football. The spectacle showed us why Liverpool was the best club in Europe at the time and the real magic of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid was enduring such trouncing that nobody could see anything else but deserving Liverpool triumph. 52 000 fans were nervously singing their hearts out, while their team still pushed on, sensing the victory. And then the magic started. Adrian gave the ball away, and Atletico Madrid was on a counter-attack.
So fittingly, the last truly great memory we have of what Champions League football is all about was the roar coming from the away supporters. Atletico Madrid scored three goals in extra-time to knock out Liverpool. The future Premier League champions were beaten, in their fortress, at a moment when they felt destiny calls them to establish themselves as one of the greatest ever teams.
Ironically, Liverpool kept on collapsing. Despite their first Premier League title, the remarkable achievements from the last three seasons, a year on from Atletico Madrid, the team is on the brink of erasing everything. After a never-seen-before plague of injury, everything that made them who they were was gone. The drive, the energy, the confidence, the power, the self-belief — all gone. Currently, on a club record six-consecutive home league defeats, 25 points off Man City, after their 5–2 win over Southampton, and sitting 8th in the league.
When young, I used to play with the rest of the kids from my neighbourhood, and sometimes the least skilled player was deemed unnecessary. Often put as a goalkeeper. Some kids got offended, which is perfectly normal, and usually left the pitch. Others took it personally and excelled, proved that they are worthy goalkeepers, and even proved they can become one of the best outfield players.
The good thing about professional football is that fundamentally it is the same as amateur football. Rules, concepts, tactics are interchangeable, but for the majority, the game is pretty much the same. And if Liverpool were competing in amateur football, they would’ve been sent home, because they gave up.
You often hear about how athletes are proud human beings, sometimes having big egos and demanding on themselves and others. The Liverpool players first need to remember why they are in football. They don’t seem to enjoy the game, don’t seem to have the motivation to perform to the maximum of their abilities, don’t seem to have the same drive and hunger to compete.
In other words, the values and beliefs of each individual were tested. Every great champion is getting tested after they become champions. Liverpool failed their test. Now they need to climb the road to greatness again. Now the Premier League title from 2019/20 is in history. In the same way, this season goes down as one of the worst in Liverpool FC history, so far. It’s all about pride and professionalism, but some Liverpool FC members were in it for winning and personal gain.
And as usually happens, experience teaches us a lot. For some reason or another, that horrifying form in the domestic competitions had zero effect on Liverpool’s European quest. With the final played at Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı in Istanbul, fans are hoping for destiny to come calling again.
On 25th May 2005 in Istanbul, Liverpool and AC Milan played the greatest football game in history. A football game that had everything, and then some. 3:0 down at half-time, three goals in six minutes to bring the game level, and pure defensive heroics for 120 minutes saw this astonishing final go into penalties. Milan had the greatest penalty takers ever in one team — Kaka, Pirlo, Shevchenko — but it wasn’t meant to be. Liverpool won their 5th European Cup and the one that will stay forever in the hearts and minds of football fans. The Miracle of Istanbul.
That diversion from the story in hand was necessary. It goes to show us that the result alone means nothing. How do you get the result is all that matters.
In a season filled with disappointment, underachieving, and issues every step of the way, Liverpool seemed to lose its way. Almost like in that first half in 2005.
And when we take a look at the results, at the end of a season wrapped in turmoil, we can either see scorelines and statistics or take a moment to reflect on how we got there. Hopefully, we can all reflect on that season by being crowned European Champions for the seventh time in Istanbul. Again.
