Dean’s up for a Euro cup now

Every aspect of the Liverpool team failed at Villa..now they must quickly find a solution before the Merseyside derby

DEAN SMITH knows it does get better than this – better than basking in the afterglow of smashing the lights out of Liverpool.

And now the Aston Villa manager, who laid hands on the club’s European Cup as a kid, hopes to bring back the glory Euro nights to a packed Villa Park.

Smith was in Rotterdam to see them beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in the ‘82 final.

And he says: “This club has won that trophy, so challenging in Europe has to be the aim.

“My old man was a steward at Villa Park for years and I used to clean the seats at the Holte End.

“He took us to the European Cup final in 1982. We jumped on the ferry and, of course, it was a fantastic experience.

“Each player was allowed to take the cup home for a while.

“Me and my brother used to babysit for Pat Heard, so I spent a day round at Pat’s house with the European Cup. He let me lift it like Dennis Mortimer – it’s a heavy old pot for an 11-year-old!

“That display against Liverpool was outstanding from start to finish. It was a surreal experience.”

AS inquests go, Liverpool’s examination of their collapse against Aston Villa was short and to the point.

Perhaps it was due to shock, or maybe because their recent success means such inquests have been few and far between.

Sunday night’s seismic defeat at Villa certainly sent tremors through the game.

This was a Liverpool team which, in the Premier League, had already dismantled Chelsea and Arsenal – two potential pretenders to their crown.

So there was little to suggest such a spectacular drop off in form was on the cards at Villa.

Skipper Virgil van Dijk said: “The performance level between the last game against Arsenal for the league and today was too big.

“All of us, everyone, has to take responsibility.”

Liverpool’s defensive display certainly asked previously unposed questions about their

Liverpool’s players look shellshocked during their 7-2 drubbing by Villa back line. The midfield was missing too while their attack, including a misfiring Roberto Firmino, squandered a host of first-half chances.

But chief among the questions posed by the 7-2 mauling was the role played by stand- in keeper Adrian, who set

Villa’s ball rolling with the gift of an opening goal and spread uncertainty.

The Spaniard, remember, made three errors in the Champions League defeat by Atletico Madrid, and a couple in the disappointing FA Cup defeat at Chelsea.

To make matters worse, after the humbling, Jurgen Klopp revealed first- choice keeper Allison could be out for six weeks with a shoulder injury.

That would see him miss at least eight games – including mega matches against Everton and Manchester City.

Yet if there was a theme among the players who stood up to be counted in the Midlands, it was that they are all in it together.

James Milner, a veteran of these shocks in football, made the point. He insisted: “We need to stand up, take everything on the chin, stick togeth e r and bounce back... and we will.”

Left-back Andy Robertson called the performance “embarrassing” but stressed blaming the defeat on the disruption of the opening Villa goal – and therefore Adrian – was ignoring the facts.

Robertson admitted: “It is difficult when you start the game like that. It has happened before – here at Villa last year probably – when in the first half we were all over the place. Then in the second we went and got the win.

“But we didn’t give ourselves that opportunity. When you are not at it and a wee bit slow to find your rhythm, you need to stay in the game. Unfortunately we made far too many mistakes that ended up in goals.

“And you are never going to win a game like that.”

Liverpool went on a 10-match unbeaten run at the start of last season with Adrian in goal, so he alone can not be blamed.

Maybe though, there is tactical adjustment required.

Brazilian Alisson plays almost as a sweeper, but his replacement is certainly not that versatile.

So Liverpool’s high defensive line may have to drop a little deeper to protect Adrian.

Whatever the solution, Robertson knows it must come quickly. “In two weeks, we’ve got a Merseyside derby and look, the lads will be ready for that,” he said.

“It’s up to us to be as fit and fresh as possible with all the international games.

“But we will stick together and make sure a performance like this, hopefully, never happens again.”