He saw his face on one of those cringey silhouette banners next to Benitez and Fagan. He couldn’t believe his luck, the easiest group in the world then bulldozing City and Roma at Anfield with a bit of help from the refs put him 90 minutes away from never having to achieve anything for Liverpool again. Win that one game and his 3 seasons of failure would be forgotten in one moment. He didn’t think for a second he wouldn’t, he got caught up in the liverpool media hype train, ‘we’re Liverpool, it’s in our DNA’ not against Real Madrid it isn’t you plank. The same reason he gets to finals (fuelling the emotional rollercoaster) is the same reason he keeps losing them.
At a neutral venue against top class opposition with the referees no longer interested in favouring you it takes more than thumping the tub to win. He has one modus operandi and he knows he’s had 4 big chances for that to work in English football (League Cup, Europa final, league campaign 16/17, and the CL) and he’s botched them all. He knows his shock and awe tactics are getting found out. Zidane had his number with ease. The top 6 have got it now, even Sam Allardyce and Pardew has him sussed.
The games up. I’ll give him one more season where he’ll start kicking off against the fans then he’ll be off to a mega club desperate to get the silverware he’s not good enough to win at Anfield.
Also at least they didn’t miss Coutibo hey, better without him weren’t they. When he looked at the bench I bet he thought ‘thank god I have Lallana rather than the guy making Barca play’. Yeah, far better without him. Didn’t need him at all. Suarez and Coutinho must be ruing the day they left the best club in der world.