24 May 2018 08:02:15
It's getting closer! Just some brief thoughts about our run in CL this season.

The last time LFC was in UCL, Suarez had just left, we replaced him with Balotelli, an ageing Gerrard was still playing, and we recruited quite poorly.

During the first match against Ludogorets, we looked labored, uninspired, seemingly not belonging to this level.

The result in Basel wasn't great either (have we ever won there? it seemed to be cursed ground for us! ) and maybe we are still finding our feet.

But the 3-0 loss to RM says it all: we were out of our depth. CR had a field day against us and it must have felt so easy for them.

The game away at the Bernabeu was worse. No, not the performance, it was as best the team selected could have produced. Arguably, RM took it quite easy too, knowing that they just needed to put a team out that played decently and the points were theirs. The approach, attitude and selection for the game was terrible. With all still left to play for, BR chose a weakened side - it's almost telling the other teams 'we know we are here just to make up the numbers, so don't whip us too hard'.

Soon after, we crashed out of UCL. Disappointed, but not entirely surprising given how we fared.

At the start of this season's UCL, there were understandably some nerves. First, we needed to qualify for the group stages. While no European juggernaut, with Nagelsmann, there was every chance Hoffenhiem could have beaten us. But we got past the team adequately. Relief.

We appeared to have gotten an 'easy' group. But hey, we crashed out of the competition the last time with Basel and Ludogorets in it! There were some naive defending and game management at various points, but also 7-0 trashing of Maribor and Moakva seem to suggest this LFC does at least belong to this competition and is one of the better teams. An enjoyable run perhaps.

Last 16, FC Porto. Some challenges, but we should progress further. But 5-0 away? Never saw that coming. Maybe we could be the dark horses of this competition?

Q-finals, Man City. Surely, our time is up in this competition with everyone backing MC to go all the way. Oh, and they whipped us 5-0 at Etihad and narrowly lost 4-3 at Anfield. Over 2 legs, with the 2nd one at the Etihad, surely there's no other winner than MC. 3-0 at Anfield and with 0 shots on target for MC. That cannot be true. Even if it were so, not to worry because MC will surely blow LFC away in the 2nd leg and overturn a 3-0 deficit. Nevermind that such a feat is rarely since in the UCL, especially at this stage. It's after all, only LFC. But we beat them, twice. This is getting real.

S-finals. Roma. The team I wished we didn't face as they are the type we struggle against. World class GK, solid organization and defensive qualities and a decent midfield and attack. A 1-0 over 2 legs might settle it for Roma. 5-0 70mins into the 1st leg, unbelievable! Yes they were an ageing team, yes, they do not have as much quality as some other teams in the competition, but they beat Barcelona (coming back from a 3 goal deficit) and haven't conceded at home. Come on, its time to believe!

Now we are in the finals and on the brink on something very special. We've broken countless records, had some great performances and is in a position to win it. Yet, everyone, especially RM believes that it will be the easiest UCL final they'll ever compete in. Perhaps their memory of LFC remains in 2014/ 5 when we were outclassed and surrendered so meekly, twice. Perhaps because we don't have the football heritage in recent years (=P)? Perhaps because everyone still believes that our defence is as fragile as before even though observations and statistical numbers suggest otherwise? Whatever the reason may be, LFC is still not be regarded as a force to be reckoned with. So be it.

I have a quiet confidence about this game. It may be a roller coaster game that ends in 5-4 in our favor. A a strange one that both sides left their shooting boots at home and the winning goal comes from a deflected Milner cross that rolled slowly into goal with defenders and attackers scrambling to get onto the end of it to no avail? But the sense I get from Klopp and the team is hunger, focus, and belief. I look forward to seeing Henderson lift no.6, with the Liverpool supporters going wild, football pundits calling us 'lucky' or 'one of the weakest team to win the UCL', and RM cooking up some reasons to explain why the whipping they were supposed to hand out didn't happen. All these could still fall flat on my face if the results go the other way, but for now, I choose to believe because the team has shown and proven, that this year, they belong in the UCL, and yes, they are the ones to win it.

1.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 08:20:50
Great post mate. I reckon it'll be close but I hope we win 5-0 just to shock the world!

2.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 08:30:11
Brill post, I'm also confident, very confident. I personally don't think it'll be close, I see us shocking them with a few early goals and smashing them all over Kiev. They won't expect it from us, they think they're the big deal all the time and won't handle us attacking them, they're just going to crumble imo. I hope it'll go like this anyway, I can't handle a close game for 90 minutes!

3.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 08:56:04
Excellent Post! Love it! Im not overly confident and think it will be a close game but expecting goals galore! at the end of the day, im young enough to survive a 3-2 or 4-3 win. As long as we win in the end i don't care in the slightest.

4.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 09:03:02
Good post and on the money. I think we’ll create chances but so will they. If our front 3 are on form we should take it 3-2.

5.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 09:13:24
Good post that SG. I really hope the RM mindset is that they can coast through the game, just turn up and win it. This RM team haven’t faced an attacking force like ours all season so I’m expecting panic and chaos in their ranks during times in the game. If we take our chances we’ll win.

6.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 11:55:46
Excellent positive post mate and I’m also confident.
I think we will blow them away first 25 minuets and I can see them all standing around arguing after goal number 3 goes in from a breakaway involving the front 3. Christiano and Marcelo arguing and Zidane rubbing his shiny bald head in disbelief. “Allez Allez Allez” will be heard for miles throughout Kiev!

7.) 24 May 2018
24 May 2018 16:36:48
I'm nervous lads, Rm can do the business, that said everyone seems to have them pegged as winners, just like porto would batter us. Oh city will thrash us then. Oh roma put Barcelona out! I also think Madrid won't expect us.

Hope we just wipe the floor with them and shock the footballing world!

8.) 25 May 2018
25 May 2018 13:04:24
MK - 5-0 may be too far a stretch. 5-3 (us leading of course! ) on 89th min, 5-4 on 94th min after a dubious penalty decision. on 96th min, Mane to race through and slot the ball pass the keeper only for it to hit the post, then the final whistle. Cause this is how Liverpool does it, the hard way. Also, fans who had to endure crazy prices, ridiculous flight arrangements and cancellations and a season's worth of roller coaster ride in many high profile games should be treated with a spectacle of a finale. =D

Salah - Kimmich put 2 past RM when up against Marcelo. I suppose 4 from you isn't too much to ask?

Red Reaper - I hope so too. The more 'relaxed' and 'we have it in the bag', the better. Yes they have quality and experience. But once you start a match lackadaisically, it can be hard to recover. Hopefully by then we are already 5-0 up before they wake up.

All that is left to do now is to convince someone from RM to touch the trophy during the walk-in and ensure that none of our lads do that!