CRUYFF TURN TO PUSH IT!
Wilson says boss Howe has given club an aura ...and fans are revelling in the Saudi revolution
LIVERPOOL can secure their Champions League passage next week in Amsterdam – but it is a fair bet that a bump-started car, dense fog and a five-goal hammering will not be any part of the story.
The Reds might only need a point to guarantee one of the top two spots in Group A, but the clash between two heavyweight European giants should sell itself whatever is at stake.
It certainly did back in 1966 – when the Dutch club’s record goalscorer Sjaak Swart gave Tommy Smith & Co. the runaround, running up a 5-1 win.
Swart recalled: “It was a sensational and historic match. But myself and Johan Cruyff had turned up really late for it – and manager Rinus Michels was livid with us.
“Everyone had to drive to the stadium in their own car. Cruyff and I shared one, but then my old Citroen wouldn’t start.
“So we had to push it around the block five times, near the edge of a forest. We took it in turns behind the wheel before it started. We were totally knackered by the time we eventually got it going.
“Then, when we arrived, the mist came down. You’ve never seen fog like it. Late in the first half, I heard the whistle – as a rightwinger, I was close to the touchline and the tunnel, so I went straight off for halftime. But when I got into the dressing room no one had followed me, apart from one of the board members.
“He shouted, ‘What the hell are you doing?’. I said, ‘Going in for a cuppa, it’s half-time’. He said, ‘No it’s not, they’re still playing’.
“Believe it or not, when I ran back out on to the pitch, the ball came straight in my direction.
“I picked it up, took three Liverpool players on, and crossed the ball to our striker Nuninga, who made it 4-0.”
Swart scored 228 goals for Ajax, remains the club’s record goalscorer and is looking forward to meeting Mo Salah (above) at the team’s hotel before kick-off – he is a huge fan of the Egypt star.
Swart added: “I love watching Mo. He is such a special player. I go to the stadium to watch him – and so do many others.
“He is a left-footer on the right, but Salah can cross the ball equally with his right foot. Antony could not do that when he was at Ajax!
“When Salah is in great form, and the team is organised, you know that Liverpool will come good again. I say to everyone, ‘Did you see Mo’s goal against Man City? That lad’s a winner’.”
CALLUM WILSON believes Eddie Howe’s Newcastle have “an aura” this season – and that’s got them “mixing with the big boys”.
The Toon and England striker has spoken about the massive transformation during the 12 months since the Saudi takeover and after Howe took charge last November.
Newcastle are flying high, having lost just once in 12 games this season, while conceding just nine goals in the league.
They are unbeaten in six games as they visit Tottenham today and Wilson says the club have become united, with fans backing the players and the new owners investing – including £210million in transfers since January.
Wilson said: “We are mixing with the big boys now – and long may it continue.
“The manager came in and we’ve slowly got a philosophy and an aura about us – everyone knows their jobs and has that confidence in their team-mates.”
Howe’s men have changed style completely in his reign, from being a deep-sitting, counter-attacking team, to an aggressive front-footed outfit that
pour energy into their game. And it has been rewarded with results.
This calendar year, they have won 16 league games out of 30 played, losing just six, which is top-six form.
But the challenge is to convert that into a full season, after just escaping relegation last term.
Wilson said: “It has been a slow process, but a positive one. We knew it was a transition after the takeover, and we brought in the right players.
“At the minute, you feel like you can go out and win most games. That is when you know you are in a good place, physically and mentally.
“As a team, we are going in the right direction. The boys at the back deserve huge credit keeping clean sheets.
“As a club and players, we have our feet on the ground. We have confidence, but it is not arrogance.
It is important not to go over the edge.
“Yes, you look at the league table, but it is early days.
We are sixth going into this weekend
– it’s a positive place.”
Wilson added that mood is all-important.
“The club has always been massive and probably not had the credit it deserves, with the previous owners and the fans in dispute with them,” he said.
“Now, you have the fans backing the players and the players backing the fans, the owners backing everyone – and that leads to positive results. When you get positive results, you get a spotlight on you and people start to sit up and take note.”
This season brings a different pressure from scrapping at the bottom like last season, when they only got their second win of the campaign on January 22.
Wilson said: “Any player wants to compete with the best. Fighting relegation battles is not nice, when every game is billed as a must-win.
“It is like a must-win at the moment but now we are in uncharted territory where the club has not been recently and you are enjoying the ride rather than thinking of a ‘must-win six pointer’.
“Games like Everton on Wednesday – if you want to be where we want to get to – are the ones you have to win, especially at home.”
There is a World Cup break to come, with the club set for a mini pre-season in Jeddah in December. “Whether the break will be a good thing or a bad thing for us, we don’t know,” said Wilson.
“The way we are playing we want to play on. When we do break up, we have to come back with the same physicality we have now.”
He added: “I feel good, fit and sharp – and the goals will come.”