Tuesday 1st May 2007. Walking home from the blast furnace that was Anfield that night, I ring a family member. “Can you believe that, two European Cup finals in three years, it doesn’t get any better.”
Shamefully, my words were misused, because looking back, I’d taken this team of ours and the heroics they were achieving for granted.
On that night, they had beaten Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final for the second time in three years, with an FA Cup win sandwiched in the middle.
“These are the days my friend.”
A banner our supporters hung in Syntagma Square ahead of the European cup final was simply emblazoned with those words.
“These are the days my friend.”
Thanks for the guidance, I know they are, yet I’m still taking them for granted.
On that sticky semi-final night at Anfield, Dirk Kuyt’s celebratory slide into the Kop End after slotting his winning penalty was to be the first moment a player had relaxed all evening.
Rafael Benitez had drilled a team to deliver. So impeccable was their positioning, communication, mentality and all round game, that defeat, even on the most demanding of occasions, never looked likely.
 |
| Benitez has form where other candidates for the job have potential |
Our team were impenetrable, ruthless and pride worthy. I took them for granted.
In the seasons which followed, Madrid mauled, United battered and Everton disregarded.
Steve Gerrard’s shriek of joy when lifting the grandest prize of all served as the opening note of a ballad rich in love. A ballad orchestrated by a conductor I took for granted.
So often when it mattered, we were set up to kill. Every blade of grass covered in detail plotted in the mind of a man obsessed with his work.
No stone left unturned, no question left to answer, no deficit insurmountable. The qualities of winners. I took them for granted.
For once, the younger generation of Liverpool supporters could see, smell and on European away days, taste these things called “glory days.” No longer served up by DVD’s showcasing former triumphs, dreams were 3D. I took them for granted.
Money was spent, players were recycled, but the proof is in the pudding and for much of that six years, the pudding tasted sweet.
Dining at that table again wouldn’t be bad.
That Athens tube journey where we sang about “the best midfield in the world” now seems further away than the Greek capital.
Structure, discipline and coolness of thought. Benitez offered them in spades. Not to mention bravery.
Would FSG be at the club now if the tactician had been one of football’s mass produced ‘yes men?’ He wasn’t, yet I took his battle for granted.
Alonso, Mascherano and Torres signed up to the beat of his drum. Marching us through Europe and chiselling away at the Nou Camp and San Siro with the swagger of a Scouse tradesman.
Hunting for the biggest European trophies, going closer to winning a title than at any other point in two decades. Luxuries I took for granted thankfully remain fond memories.
 |
| The Spaniard's obsession with the game provides a detailed tactical knowledge |
The meat in an Everton and Fulham sandwich after 38 games. We look anything but an appetising filling. The European hey days of Chorizo and Mozarella are out. It’s spam from the tin at the moment.
Gross underachievement with some players bought for sirloin prices, only to deliver rump offerings.
Watching a new side taste glory on Sunday shows no seats are reserved at football’s dining table. Take your seat, fight to keep it and hammer one another for the best cuts.
Benitez defended the quality of British food after some blush worthy weight gain during his time at the club. Could his appetite take us back to the grand buffet?
Could Liverpool Football Club visit the past again?
A European Cup and two time La Liga winner, Benitez has hoovered up trophies in perhaps Europe's two most demanding countries. He achieved more during the opening decade of this century than 99% of managers achieve in a career. Yet he remains freely available.
Furthermore, he’s refreshed, hungry and itching for work at a top club.
Where could a foray with similarly fresh owners end up?
Finding out would be an adventure worth buying a ticket for.
I’d definitely not take it for granted.
Those were the days my friend.
No comments:
Post a Comment