THIS TIME IT FEELS DIFFERENT...
There is an ice-cold calmness to this Liverpool team — unlike the breathless class of 2014
EvERY kind of terrain has been crossed at some time or other by Liverpool in their long, elusive search for the title which once arrived with the regularity of a No 26 bus on the city’s Scotland Road.
There is a resonance, for example, about this particular quest coinciding with the
commemorations for the 30th anniversary of the day when 96 fans did not come home from Hillsborough. A landmark which led to yesterday’s mosaic, the immaculate minute’s silence, and to the wise erudition of Jurgen Klopp’s programme notes. ‘English is not my first language,’ he wrote, ‘but even if I was writing in German I do not think I would have the words to appropriately serve this situation. Even now it doesn’t make sense.’
This is precisely how it was five years ago, when the 25th anniversary was being marked, the Hillsborough inquests were bringing some finality and top- of- the- table Liverpool thought they were going to win the league as they went into their home match against Chelsea. There was ‘a feel of the old Liverpool’, Brendan Rodgers said at the time.
What happened next, of course, was what Steven Gerrard later described as the ‘bog standard square ball’ from Mamadou Sakho, which he slipped under, handing Chelsea’s Demba Ba the crucial goal, Manchester City the title and by nightfall left him in tears in his car, beneath the Centenary Stand.
What is happening this time feels materially different. Someone recalled last week the way that Rodgers’ had contacted the players’ mothers that spring, asking them to write a message about their sons, to be read out by him before each game.
It raised the sense of this being something exceptional — a now- ornever moment. Klopp is so averse to raising expectations that talk of a title has become tantamount to slander in his court and yesterday was the day when an icecold equanimity truly told. It was certainly as severe a test of composure as they come.
The patch of Anfield turf where Gerrard fell that day was traversed repeatedly by Eden Hazard in a first half where Liverpool’s attempts to convert possession into goals were akin to trying to opening a wine bottle with a knife — lots of effort around the edges but no meaningful incision.
Hazard was far sharper than anyone else — the best player on the field, with the world-class Willian present to help him build the counter-attacking chances.
But standing in the Gerrard space was Fabinho, a player who epitomizes the Liverpool team’s composure as much as any. The headlines will be taken today by Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, a quite outstanding contributor in the second half, but Fabinho was key to the shackling of Hazard.
If it is pivotal moments you are searching for, consider his intervention in the game’s ninth minute, chasing back to halt the run of Hazard who was breaking into full stride as he powered towards Liverpool’s box.
The Brazilian placed a foot around the forward to take the ball away, then gestured his sentiments about the claims for a free-kick from the Belgian, who was rolling on the grass. The referee waved the game on. Gerrard used to call the first challenge a ‘welcome to Anfield tackle’. This was something more measured, one of four tackles he made in a difficult first half.
In the early part of the season Klopp did not trust Fabinho to shield Liverpool’s defence alone, although his assuredness allowed Jordan Henderson to operate as a decisive No 8 and Naby Keita to advance.
‘It was the plan,’ said Klopp last night. ‘Henderson slightly higher, then it gives Fabinho and Naby different space. Defending this centre against Sarriball is really difficult. From first moment it was there. You see it from the first second it is clicking.’
The midfield shield was required because Hazard against Joel Matip was certainly not a match made in Anfield heaven. The forward twisted back and forth around the centre half on 20 minutes but shot at Alisson.
Hazard was frankly unplayable during what was, from a Liverpool perspective, a quite desperate period around the hour mark.
By then the cushion had been established, Henderson seizing his opportunity high up the field with a beautifully crafted cross for Sadio Mane, Salah providing his piece of magic.
The ‘slip’ did come, though far later than the moment in first-half injury time which will always be seared across Gerrard’s soul.
The game had seven minutes to run when Andy Robertson let the ball slip under his foot, although it was the benign Gonzalo Higuain, not Ba, lurking behind him this time.
Klopp looked up to the supporters, laughed hard and those nearest him in the Main Stand enjoyed the joke.
The Kop sang ‘Liverpool, top of the league’ and at the end Klopp ran to them, animated. His players were a picture of the calm which keeps alive what, with four games to play, is a very real chance to write themselves into history.