The mother of all games
First European clash still has heavyweight billing despite humble setting
THERE HAVE been near- misses in the past.
Most notable was the prospect of a Champions League semi- fi nal in 2002, only for Bayer Leverkusen to rip up the script and seal a date instead with Manchester United.
And then, six years later, these bitter Northwest rivals had looked to march on Moscow. An all- English fi nal did ensue but it was Chelsea, not Liverpool, who faced familiar foes at the Luzhniki Stadium.
When history is played out tonight and Liverpool and United fi nally collide in Continental combat for the fi rst time, the occasion will not be quite so prestigious, yet the stakes will feel as high as ever.
It may be for two nights only but glamour and razzmatazz is coming to the last 16 of the Europa League.
“Matches like this are the mother of all football games,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. “That is what you really want when you are young. It is a big challenge but it is the best thing you can do in football.”
The ferocity of the history between the two most successful clubs in England transcends the competition that now hosts them.
Anfi eld will rock to a raucous din, the blood and thunder on the pitch betraying the simmering contempt between these two clubs. Over two legs, this is a tie that can create a different narrative to the one depicting the two sides as fallen giants.
That United sit 20th and Liverpool 45th in UEFA’s rankings shows the decline, the eight European Cups they share harvested long ago.
The power of the fi xture ensures this is an opportunity to make a statement. One which would not have been
there had Liverpool been drawn against Anderlecht, for example, or United with Sparta Prague.
“What is Champions League level?” asked Klopp. “I saw in the Champions League a lot of rubbish games. It is not about the tournament, it is about the teams who are involved.
“I know Liverpool and Manchester United want to be part of the Champions League always but the Europa League is a very exciting tournament. I don’t know one game where it isn’t really exciting. From now it is something like a little Champions League.
“If you want, it is a big game; if you don’t, then you don’t know football. We are not in the Champions League but we cannot change this. We can only do our best.
“At this moment, it is the biggest game I can imagine. If Manchester United were playing against another team, nobody would be interested. Now all of Liverpool and all of the Liverpool world is really excited about this game.”
The cathartic qualities of a victory over a sworn enemy are well known to Van Gaal, who is bidding to become the fi rst United manager to win fi ve successive matches against Liverpool, excluding the pre- season exhibition in Miami a couple of years ago.
All the criticism the Dutchman has faced from fans in his turbulent two years in charge is diluted when his record over the Merseysiders comes under scrutiny.
“Then I shall be in the books with a positive record,” he replied with a smile as he savoured the prospect of extending a winning streak that neither Sir Matt Busby nor Sir Alex Ferguson managed. “That would be fi ne. But don’t write that or it will be more diffi cult for the players to get a fi fth win.
“It is curious that United have beaten Liverpool so many times in my period because I have lost to other opponents.
“I t is good for me because, when I beat teams like Liverpool, then the appreciation from the fans is bigger, so I hope we beat them for the fi fth time and for the sixth time also. But more for the fans than myself.”
Liverpool will hope to buck the trend, with Klopp’s options improved since a 1- 0 Premier League defeat in January . He will hope James Milner has recovered from the virus that ruled him out of training last night. “I am pleased for him [ Van Gaal] that he could change the situation a bit because, with this long, successful career, it is not OK that people give him, or the world, the feeling he has absolutely no idea about football,” said Klopp.
“That is not true and he has proved he does 20,000 times or more. Maybe he is not completely through and we want to make their problems bigger, clearly, but he has changed enough.”
The front of the match- day programme tonight carries the strapline: ‘ Presenting this evening’s main event…’ with Klopp and Van Gaal two heavyweights.
Let battle commence.