Liverpool 5 Roma 2 (Apr 24 2018)

[tlw content]

This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. What this team is doing on this stage is incredible. Unprecedented even, certainly for an English team anyway. Forget the late lapse that cost us two away goals, that was irritating but it’s merely a footnote to one of the most amazing performances in club history. This was the semifinal of the European Cup and we were 5-0 up. 
 
Not just that, we were making Roma look like a pub team. This just isn’t supposed to happen. So we gave them a lifeline and it finished 5-2, but the Italians know how fortunate they are that they still have a punchers chance in the second leg, because in boxing terms this would have been stopped after an hour. 
 
Roma were crawling around on their hands and knees looking for their gum shield. We let them get back up to land a couple of jabs but I reckon next week we’ll mop the floor with them. Why shouldn’t we feel confident? This European campaign is like no other that has gone before. The tense, tight, wars of attrition we’ve usually had in Europe have been nowhere to be seen this year. It’s just been all out attack and beating the shit out of everyone. 
 
We’ve won five European Cups and a few UEFA Cups too, but we’ve never done anything like this. It’s not like we’re even the best team in our own country (or second best if the ‘table never lies’) yet we’re just snotting everyone when it comes to this competition. Not just beating them, completely fucking dismantling them. 
 
We’d already scored more goals than any English team had ever managed and we just added five more to it. We’re the only team to have had two players in double figures, and the top three individual goalscoring seasons we’ve had in the Champions League are Salah, Firmino and Mané, all THIS SEASON!! All three of them have beaten Gerrard’s best season when he got seven. 
 
We’re the best attacking side in the world, yet Roma’s coach seemed to have no idea. He blew it. Has he ever seen us play? Those fucking snails in his back three against what my mate Julian refers to as our “jet powered racing snakes”. It was a mismatch, but you level the playing field by sitting deep and not giving them room to run. 
 
Remember the line from Carvalhal about how a formula one car can’t burn you off if it’s stuck in rush hour traffic? That Elvis Costello looking goon from Roma sent out his three wheeled van on an open motorway thinking it could keep up with our Ferrari. I’m not complaining, I hope he does the same thing next week. In fact, he might have to because he’s three goals down and has to chase the game. 
 

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[Anubis]

Also, people forget at 5-1 Wiji fluffed a brilliant chance to make it six.

[scudger99]

Great write up Dave.  It leaves me amazed too that we can blow teams of this magnitude away and some people prefer to harp on and on about the negatives.  Whatever floats their boat I suppose.

No fucking way will Roma be looking forward to facing our front 3 again next time out, however much gusto they spout beforehand.

[Trumo]

Just a quick point, but Kolarov and Salah were never teammates at Roma, as Kolarov joined them from City last summer AFTER we'd already signed Salah.

[Creator Supreme]

Just seen the highlights, more convinced than ever that we've blown it in the last 10 minutes. As soon as they got the first back the confidence coursed through them even at 1-5.

 

Bit unlucky with the pen but we've had them given for similar, I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes.

 

As for Salah, words fail me. He's too good for us to keep I fear, but my goodness he's been a joy to have here.

[index1000]

They played the exact same formation against Messi and his mates so they must have thought... 'it worked then what could go wrong?' 

With them having to chase the game i reckon we will smash them next week. 

Hope the bloke who got hurt is ok. Thoughts and prayers with his family.

[Simbo]

I felt very strange after the game. I knew I should be buzzing but I felt very flat and disheartened. The tie should have been done and dusted but we’ve given them a sniff and I’m a little nervous about next week.

[lifetime fan]

Great write up.

 

This actually made me laugh out loud. I talk some absolute bollocks sometimes.

[piphomer]

Just seen the highlights, more convinced than ever that we've blown it in the last 10 minutes. As soon as they got the first back the confidence coursed through them even at 1-5.

 

Bit unlucky with the pen but we've had them given for similar, I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes.

 

As for Salah, words fail me. He's too good for us to keep I fear, but my goodness he's been a joy to have here.

 

Kinell mate, reach for the happy pills for once.

[scudger99]

Just seen the highlights, more convinced than ever that we've blown it in the last 10 minutes. As soon as they got the first back the confidence coursed through them even at 1-5.

 

Bit unlucky with the pen but we've had them given for similar, I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes.

 

As for Salah, words fail me. He's too good for us to keep I fear, but my goodness he's been a joy to have here.

Are we winning 5-2 or losing 5-2 ?

[fredo49]

Top report as usual Dave - and glad you highlighted the incorrigible tendency to want to be negative over the smallest things.

 

Yes, we could get knocked out (unlikely), but as you point out, we have been watching some of the most breathtaking football ever played by LFC and we are just privileged to witness it...

[dave u]

Just a quick point, but Kolarov and Salah were never teammates at Roma, as Kolarov joined them from City last summer AFTER we'd already signed Salah.

 

 

Fair enough then. Still, anyone who turns down the chance to hug Mo is a bad wrong 'un anyway. So fuck him.

[dave u]

They played the exact same formation against Messi and his mates so they must have thought... 'it worked then what could go wrong?' 

With them having to chase the game i reckon we will smash them next week. 

Hope the bloke who got hurt is ok. Thoughts and prayers with his family.

 

Exactly. Messi and his mates take 300 passes to get from one box to the other so they had plenty of time to amble back and get in position. We do it in one or two passes and have forwards who can go the length of the pitch in the blink of an eye.

[Creator Supreme]

Now we know it's probably Real going through, do we really want to get there? The thought of the greaseball and Dr Cornelius taking the piss leaves me cold.

[lifetime fan]

One point I'd make about Mane's goal is that watching it back again it doesn't look so scruffy. He actually aims for the side netting and places it where he wanted to, it's just as he strikes the ball he then slips and it looks ugly and lucky. 

[Guest]

Just seen the highlights, more convinced than ever that we've blown it in the last 10 minutes. As soon as they got the first back the confidence coursed through them even at 1-5.

 

Bit unlucky with the pen but we've had them given for similar, I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes.

 

As for Salah, words fail me. He's too good for us to keep I fear, but my goodness he's been a joy to have here.

To say that Roma have a better chance in the second leg when they are 5-2 down after the first leg is quite simply nonsensical. If we were 5-2 down would we be the favourites?

[aws]

If we were 5-2 down after a drumming away, my main worry would be about being further embarrassed at home.

[rb14]

Now we know it's probably Real going through, do we really want to get there?

 

Seriously? What on earth are you talking about? Two posts on this and they're both mad.

 

"I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes." Erm, do what? I'm not certain it even hit his arms/hand. The ref was gagging to give them that penno. The only pen that can be pointed at Milner is for signing another contract. 

 

"Salah been a joy to have here." Beg pardon? You're assuming he's off already?

 

You don't want Real in the final? I fucking do and I'm the most negative twat on this forum by a country mile.

 

Dave alluded to this above but didn't put enough into it. We're attempting to climb to the top of a very demanding mountain. If we pay no attention to the view on the way up, if we don't enjoy the physical exertion, if we fail to appreciate the camaraderie of doing it with our mates, if we don't enjoy any of the climb, then if a storm comes in and only metres away from the summit we're forced to admit defeat and retreat, the whole thing will have been a waste of time. For me, the climb is 99%, the summit is the cream on top.

 

Enjoy tearing up these records and playing some of the most scintillating football I've ever seen us play. 

[sir roger]

Seriously? What on earth are you talking about? Two posts on this and they're both mad.

 

"I certainly wouldn't be pointing fingers at Milner in the blame stakes." Erm, do what? I'm not certain it even hit his arms/hand. The ref was gagging to give them that penno. The only pen that can be pointed at Milner is for signing another contract. 

 

"Salah been a joy to have here." Beg pardon? You're assuming he's off already?

 

You don't want Real in the final? I fucking do and I'm the most negative twat on this forum by a country mile.

 

Dave alluded to this above but didn't put enough into it. We're attempting to climb to the top of a very demanding mountain. If we pay no attention to the view on the way up, if we don't enjoy the physical exertion, if we fail to appreciate the camaraderie of doing it with our mates, if we don't enjoy any of the climb, then if a storm comes in and only metres away from the summit we're forced to admit defeat and retreat, the whole thing will have been a waste of time. For me, the climb is 99%, the summit is the cream on top.

 

Enjoy tearing up these records and playing some of the most scintillating football I've ever seen us play. 

 

Reading the forum since Tuesday I would suggest that title is in serious jeopardy , rb.

 

I thought I was a bit downbeat football-wise , but it appears I was born in Valium Valley, Arizona.

[an tha]

The night in its entirety was a little weird...

 

Firstly the atmosphere - now don't get me wrong it was good, it was very good BUT it never quite reached the rabid levels that it did versus City.

 

Maybe the rain which was incessant all day played a part - maybe the being favourites rather than underdogs played a part...I sensed an expectation in the air which just makes things that little bit less rabid, that little bit less feral.

 

Oh and whilst I am talking about the atmosphere it is ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ with the emphasis on the fucking A...not Ole Ole Ole or Oway, Oway, Oway or Ulleh, Ulleh Ulleh....how fucking hard is it to get that right? Honestly people all around us in 306 we at it all night, same in the ale house as well...and it is suffering from being sung at 78rpm as well. (Rant over!) But it does my head in that people can't get it right.

 

The first goal was greeted by a mighty explosion of relief on a par with City....the 2nd was a bit weird as a lot of people around us had headed down the steps for half time and it was a little muted...by the time 3,4 and 5 had gone in the crowd were almost in smug "game over" mode - it wasn't the same type of euphoria that was in the air versus City.

 

Then their goals came and the air left the balloon - really was weird as at the end there was a round of applause similar to what you might get after a 2-0 routine win at home to West Ham or someone not a roar that a 3 goal victory in the European Cup semi should be greeted with... but the air was tinged with a slightly muted maybe even deflated air...which after scoring 5 and leading by 3 in a European Cup Semi Final is weird thing to be writing but it is true.

 

It is like saying 'I bummed Kelly Brook last night but felt a bit bad at the end that when trying a 3rd time i couldn't finish off so we just stopped and had a ciggy'...but that is the sort of atmosphere that was in the air as we left ground.

 

The long wait (we sit in row 74 two from the back) that always entails to get down the steps at the end was quiet and you could hear people talking about 'if they get three we are fucked' 'only we could score 5 and it feel bad' etc....against City that wait was 5 mins of solid bouncing to "Allez Allez Allez"

 

Even the walk down towards the Oakfield was quiet, no air of celebration that we had just banged in 5 in a European Cup semi, just a few strangled shouts that never really got going and it was same in the Oakfield after...quiet...again after City it was bouncing.

 

The timing of the goals after being 5 up, the worry that they did the business v Barcelona, these two goals coming off the back of letting in two late goals v WBA - maybe all these things contributed to it but it really did feel a bit flat and weird.

 

Here we are with a 3 goal lead going into the 2nd leg but the prevailing feeling seems to be one of apprehension, fear, slight disappointment...maybe we are in danger already of being spoiled - the expectation is already too high...people think (because we can of course) that we have to dick everyone all the time and any slight drop off from that is in some mad way anti-climatic and worse dicking teams is expected and not all that much to get excited about unless we are underdogs- and that was definitely in the air around Anfield on Tuesday.

 

I could barely talk the next day after City due to all the singing and shouting...my voice was fine yesterday so I am as 'guilty' for want of a much better phrase as anyone else but that in itself tells the story.

 

It really did feel a bit weird on Tuesday.

 

Almost seemed like people were a little bit afraid to celebrate too much as the scar tissue from so many fuck ups is still tender...we really need to make sure we don't fuck this up from here as i really feel if we do that it might be as damaging to us as 2014 was - and it may be a blow the players and fans don't get over and it set us back years again...we need to get this done to stop it adding more doubt to the doubts that already plague us and make it even worse in future - fans bricking it even when we are 3 or 4 goals ahead because they fear we will blow it (because they have seen it too often)

 

Hands up - who was still bricking it 4-1 up on aggregate v City? Thinking "Yeah but"?

 

Here is a thought though if you do feel a bit down - How many times in our history have we won the first leg of a European Cup semi final by 3 goals?....

[Bob]

I know that I went batshit with joy 5 times, and almost another 5 again, and only felt deflated twice. Sounds like a positive to me.

 

That can be separated from feeling concerned that the result may still be in the balance, though personally speaking I see no way at all that we don’t score at least one over there, and so long as we don’t shoot ourselves in the foot after 2 minutes like the last round, I actually think we’ll go through comfortably, and more than likely win the match as well as the tie.

 

They looked really good for the opening 15 minutes and every one of them looked really comfortable on the ball.

 

Then we opened them up 3 times in 5 minutes and all that composure disappeared, even before we had taken the lead.

 

They know what we did to them, and they know it was us doing it at our will, not them having an off day. They will know we can do it again and the first time we break through their lines - whether we score or not - it will all come flooding back and they’ll start shitting themselves again.

[ZonkoVille77]

It's fun being nervous. If we are sailing through all our games with no sense of anxiety then the sport becomes boring to watch.

 

It's the sheer thrill of not knowing what the hell to expect next that keeps it all worthwhile. The nail biting and 40 trips to the bogs is part and parcel of the game for me. If I wanted to be chilled out watching sports and watch my team win the majority of then time, then I'd just be a fucking Celtic fan, and where's the fun in that. (bar European exploits, of course)

[DJLJ]

I am very very worried about this part:

 

 

 

I just hope all our lads who go over there next week come back safe and sound.

 

Their "Ultras" are going to try and take revenge for some of their guys going to jail in Liverpool, they will defo try to take some of ours out. Be very fucking careful over there.

[Trumo]

I am very very worried about this part:

 

 

Their "Ultras" are going to try and take revenge for some of their guys going to jail in Liverpool, they will defo try to take some of ours out. Be very fucking careful over there.

 

And the Lazio Ultras will look to get involved too.

[an tha]

They'll be up to their usual shithouse tricks...riding on scooters and stabbing in arse....attacking in mobs swinging their belts...Police will be horrible too

 

Horrible bastards.

 

All reds out there need to be vigilant and careful.