I’ve just stopped binge watching footage from Shevchenko fan park. It is 4am.I have had a little over 48 hours since the absolute madness of Loris Karius to gather myself. I am a absolutely shattered. I am devastated. We did not deserve to fall short. We have played football that was out of this world this year. The way we lost has just been so tough to handle. More so losing Mo than the goal keeping stuff because I think I will just keep thinking “what if he stayed on?” for months. But, I have decided on a couple things:
1. Our fans are absolutely superb.
2. They make me so proud to love this football club as much as I do.
But, it is time to rant.
Firstly, Karius. Feel for the lad. I really do. It is such a shame that he made a mistake that no goal keeper will ever make again and he’s done it on such a big occasion. But, I do not want to see him in goal for Liverpool ever again. He just can not stand between the sticks for us. Such a shame too, because he was genuinely getting a lot better and I was gaining faith in him.
Next, Sergio Ramos. Do I think he hurt Salah on purpose? Yes. Do I blame him for going after our best player to make sure Real Madrid win yet another European Cup Final? No. Remember, Steven Gerrard dived in the Champions League final to get our penalty vs A.C Milan. Winners do what is necessary to get their side over the line. These online petitions to have Ramos banned, the lawyer wanting to sue him, and fans sharing and retweeting videos of him going for a header but accidentally hitting Karius are absolutely idiotic. Simple. They are making us, as a fan base, look ridiculous.
I guess I have got to touch on the game itself briefly. It went superbly for the first thirty minutes. I felt the occasion impacted some of our lads a little early on, but they settled into the game well, for the most part. We needed to take our chances. It is the Champions League final. It’s Real Madrid!
You do not get that many opportunities against them and so when they come by you have got to be lethal as we had been in prior games.We had nine shots in the first half. However, from that moment that Salah went off to the end of the game is a massive blur. I’m usually incredibly specific when it comes to details of a match. I can not remember this game at all, well maybe I just don’t want to!
Anyway, the big positive from that game was both our defence and Jordan Henderson. They were superb. Whoever thinks Fabinho is walking in and taking that holding midfield role off my captain so easily is out of their mind. Henderson has been absolutely superb on this Champions League run. A true leader. We could not have asked for more from the skipper. That is about as much analysis as the game deserves.
Three years ago, I sat in a bang average hotel in Orlando, Florida and watched the reds get thumped 6-1 to an average Stoke side in Steven Gerrard’s last game for Liverpool. A year ago, we’d clinched Champions League football and then sent our players to Australia for a meaningless friendly. Even Jamie Carragher got a run out. This was followed by trips to the zoo to play with animals in Australia and videos of our manager experimenting with Aborigini instruments.
A year on, I am absolutely crushed and devastated about losing a Champions League final to the best team world football has probably ever seen.
Levels.
We did not make too many additions last summer. We even lost our best player in January (although signing big Virgil did make our defence solid). Point is, this football club is on the up and rival fans are having a laugh at us for losing on football’s biggest stage. I will take that all day long. The Reds are back. They are on the up. Jurgen Klopp has done an absolutely superb job.
The result from Saturday’s game is, and will continue to be, incredibly tough to swallow, but, just think back to the journey. Supporting the Reds is about making memories. The footage of fans in the train station following the Man City away game was just superb. The brilliant moment between the fans and players after the Roma game was right up there with the best moments I have had supporting Liverpool.
The scenes from Jamie Webster performing in Kiev were incredible too. A new song was born with words synonymous with supporting the Reds thanks to this Champions League run. So yes, we did not win the Champions League and yes, we lost it because our goal keeper went and basically threw the ball in the goal twice, but, the Reds are back and you best believe we are not stopping. We were unbeaten at home this season. Anfield is already a fortress. We are only going to get more dangerous. More exciting players are coming to join us.
We go again…
