Despite suffering a shock 3 – 0 defeat in the first leg at Anfield last week, there are plenty of reasons for Liverpool fans to be hopeful the Reds can produce another European miracle on Thursday.
Liverpool produced one of their worst performances in many years last Thursday, losing the first leg of their Europa League Quarter-Final to Atalanta 3 – 0 at Anfield. Despite the doom and gloom that followed the result, Liverpool fans can still be optimistic about their side’s chances when the two teams meet again tomorrow night, for the second leg in Bergamo.
1) Liverpool are due a big performance
Despite the last couple of results, Liverpool has massively over-achieved this season, given the squad overhaul that took place in the summer, and the number of injuries Jurgen Klopp and his players have had to contend with. That said, the Reds have not been playing well for several weeks. The victories over Sheffield United and Brighton might have kept the Reds in the title race, but neither game was easy to watch, while the defeats against Atalanta and Crystal Palace highlighted the player’s lack of confidence, with the whole team appearing low on energy and rhythm. At some point, that will change, and everything will click back into place. Klopp and his coaching staff will be reminding the players how good they are, and that they only need one goal to get back into the tie. If Liverpool gets that first goal, confidence will quickly return, with a big performance not far behind.
2) Liverpool have the better squad
So I know this may sound foolish, given how poorly Liverpool played, and how well Atalanta played last time out, but on paper, Liverpool has the best squad in the Europa League. Heck, they have one of the best squads in Europe, full stop. A quick glance at the football stats website www.transfermarkt.co.uk values the current Liverpool squad at over £900million, compared to Atalanta’s squad value of £350million. Liverpool too, has numerous world-class players, including Alisson, Van Dijk, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold. They just need to remember how good they are, and play with the confidence nd freedom they showed earlier in the season.
3) Liverpool have a history of comebacks, particularly in Europe
Throughout the club’s history, there are numerous examples of Liverpool upsetting the odds and coming from behind to win games they should have lost. Whether it’s the Champions League Final in 2005, Barcelona at Anfield in 2019, or the UEFA Cup Final against Club Brugge in 1976, Liverpool Football Club loves a comeback – and tomorrow night’s game is set up perfectly for the Reds to write another chapter in their famous history.
4) Atalanta are not in great form themselves
Despite how well Atalanta played at Anfield last week, the Italian club is not having a great season, sitting 6th in the table, over 30 points behind leaders Inter, having lost or drawn over half their league games so far. Just this past weekend, Atalanta blew a two-goal lead at home to lowly Verona (currently 16th in the table). Last week’s performance against Liverpool then, may be seen as something of a one-off, rather than the norm this season.
5) No one expects Liverpool to win, so they can approach the game with less pressure
It wasn’t too long ago that people were talking about the Quadruple, then the Treble. Now it seems likely that Liverpool will finish the season with just one trophy – the Carabao Cup. But that might actually help Liverpool on Thursday night, as people have already written them off. Because of that, the players may not feel the same level of pressure as a few weeks ago. Without that pressure, the players will hopefully play with a freedom and energy that has been sadly lacking in recent games.
