I am of course referring to our second leg encounter with Barcelona. We can still do this. Yes it will be difficult. They are a quality side, but we have to believe. Just look at last year’s semi-final against Roma. We had a 5-2 cushion after the first leg and that turned into a squeaky bum affair didn’t it.
Barcelona themselves have been involved in some incredible second leg dramas. PSG a few years ago and Roma last season. In the quarter finals, Barcelona led 4-1 after the first leg. The second leg was a formality to many. But not to Roma. Against all the odds, Roma beat Barcelona 3-0 to record an incredible comeback.
We Can Still Do This
All us Liverpool fans can testify to some dramatic comebacks of our on of course. The Spirit of Istanbul in 2005 of course, and more recently Borussia Dortmund in 2016.
So, yes we can still do this. Anyway, when do we ever do anything easy? It wouldn’t be Liverpool would it if we strolled through to the Final would it.
I was saying to someone today that looking at it in a positive way, there was no way that game was a 3-0 game. Normally, a 3-0 win or loss means the team on the receiving end of such a scoreline have been comprehensively beaten. Not so last night. It was more like a 4-4, or a 4-3, or even a 3-4 type of balance to the game.
On that basis, we should be positive and believe that we can still do this.
As I said, of course Barcelona are a top quality side, but if anyone can create a whirlwind atmosphere on and off the pitch then we can.
Let’s Stay Focused
Yes, indeed we have to stay focused. And that includes us the fans as well. A request if I may to the match going fans. Don’t waste breath and energy on booing our two former players if you were thinking of so doing. A complete waste of time. They won’t need firing up any more, so don’t give them even more reason to try and rub it into us.
Talking of our former players, seeing Suarez against us for the first time since he left was a weird experience in a way. No comment on his performance as such but more on his theatrics and antics, you can maybe now see why fans of other clubs hated him and us a consequence.
Histrionics and Antics
Talking of player’s histrionics and antics I am amazed on the one hand that so much is accepted without punishment. But no so amazed on the other. Even Lionel Messi is in on it now. He never used to be what I could remember seeing of him over the years. One in particular springs to mind.
It was when James Milner tackled him near the touchline and Messi went fully into “Neymar Mode” and tumbled and rolled…..and tumbled and rolled …and tumbled and rolled some more. Needless to say the inevitable imaginary card waving followed.
Yellow Cards
It’s always been a bit strange to me that players automatically get an instant yellow card for taking their shirt of in a goal celebration. Strange on two counts. Firstly the original reasons given for deciding to give a yellow are outdated and really do not warrant a yellow. Secondly, and probably more importantly, why the players do it when they know it’s an instant yellow!!
Bobby Firmino used to do it a lot but seems to have cut it out. Mo did it at Southampton recently though. I would like to think the club has a fine structure in place for such needless yellows. Imagine if a player did it every time here scored. Mo Salah would have several suspensions each season for 5 bookings. Absolutely crazy on those two counts.
Imaginary card waving on the other hand. Now that should be an instant yellow in my book. As should the rolling and tumbling…..and rolling and tumbling.
There was no such rolling and tumbling at the humble level of football I played at all those years ago. When you were genuinely hurt, you stayed hurt. More often than not as motionless as could be for fear of accentuating the pain by moving.
Real Injuries
Even at the highest level you will invariably not see a player rolling and tumbling if they were actually hurt. They have statistics and figures on virtually everything in football these days. I wonder if they have a statistic on the number of times a player was actually injured after the rolling and tumbling Oscar winning acting that preceded an attempt to get a player a card.
My guess would be either 0% actually injured. Or at best, in the low single figures. If such figures are available then the referees should be aware of these figures. And who the regular perpetrators are. Neymar for instance would hardly complete 90 minutes would he.
Having said all that, referees are no doubt clued up on this. I’ve already mentioned my views on referees in earlier articles. My view of referees giving decisions that they want to give still stands. How many times back in the days of Mike Riley and Howard Webb did we say there was a rule book then there was an Old Trafford rule book.
Next Tuesday – We Can Still Do This
Next Tuesday is a huge game. Hopefully it won’t be the game to end all of our season’s aspirations. We obviously need to beat Newcastle on Saturday to stay in the title hunt. So, it would be great to go into the Barcelona game with two things still to play for.
Claiming that we can still do this is not a pie in the sky comment. Nor is it based on a blind loyalty. I really believe we can still do this. Keep the faith Reds. Come what may, we know the players will give it their all. So should we fans (again another dig at those doom merchants on the match day forums).
Onwards and upwards. Stay strong and supportive fellow Reds. We Can Still Do This!! YNWA!! JFT96
