ROMA We can make

REPORTS EVER since Roma were pulled out alongside Liverpool’s name the temptation for many has been to look to history for inspiration.

Some hitched hope to the 1984 final as a portent while others pointed to the more recent 5-1 win over Manchester City in the last round to fuel belief.

Throughout, however, Jurgen Klopp has been consistently looking the other way.

For him the inspiration has always been the future and about what his current side can achieve and yesterday he said reaching a Champions League final could be just the start.

“It is a massive opportunity but it is not a once in the lifetime chance,” he said. “I am already for the second time in the semi-finals and if I go, I will be the second time in the final.

“I would say that if I was in doubt about the attitude of the boys but I’m not. We all feel the same excitement. We all came here together. If I now start to do something really special, then it would be, ‘OK, now he thinks this team’s game could be a bigger problem’. It’s not, it’s the same. We really feel the opportunity.”

It may be tempting to see some psychology at work in Klopp’s approach but there should be no doubt about his unswerving belief in his side’s ability.

And while he stressed his respect for a worthy lastfour opponent, having dismantled no less than Barcelona in the quarterfinals, winning 3-0 at home to overturn a 4-1 defeat in Spain, there is no doubt that Liverpool believe they can progress.

Klopp, who has been here before, having reached the final with Borussia Dortmund in 2013, said: “People ask me if I feel pressure. No. I only feel opportunity. I’m really happy to be here – to have another big night at Anfield.”

History will mean nothing when the sides line up in what is sure to be a febrile atmosphere at Anfield yet Klopp will resist the temptation to use the past as motivation.

“I think the boys need real things not the good old stories, even though they were brilliant,” said Klopp. “We only talk about it because we hope it helps. The spirit of Rome.

“In Germany we talk about the spirit of the 1954 and ’74 camp prior to the World Cup but it is only to create your own history. That is what we have to do, not what we want to do.”

Liverpool last reached the semi-final in 2008 when they were beaten by Chelsea but this campaign feels different. They are the leading scorers in the competition and have torn through their opponents in the knockout stages, thrashing Porto 5-0 and City 5-1.

In Mo Salah they stole Roma’s most valuable jewel – paying £37 million for the privilege – last summer and he has rewarded them with 41 goals, including eight in this competition. But if they have shown anything this season it

NERVY KENNEDY’S ROME HEROICS – P60-61