Dubai: Liverpool will look to end an emotional week in the club’s history by stepping one foot into the Europa League final on Thursday.
The Reds travel to Spain’s Villarreal in the first leg of the semi-final just two days after the jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing in the Hillsborough inquest.
It ended a 27-year-wait for justice for the 96 football fans who died in a crush during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield in 1989.
The Anfield side will now hope to harness the energy from this week’s ruling and mount a serious challenge to win their first European title in 11 years.
Coach Jurgen Klopp has already said he feels an aura around the Merseyside club that indicates imminent glory. “I feel there is a power at this club,” he said, following his side’s remarkable last gasp victory to beat his old side Borussia Dortmund 5-4 on aggregate in April 14’s quarter-final, which occurred a day before the 27th anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster.
The Germans had seemed destined to sneak through on away goals, despite Liverpool clawing back from 2-0 down, until Dejan Lovren popped up on 91 minutes to seal a vintage comeback.
“I felt it when we played Dortmund at Anfield and I saw it in the streets before the game. I believe that there are some clubs who are always more likely to win trophies than others.”
Borussia striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a mainstay under Klopp’s successful eight year reign at Dortmund, has also backed his former coach to carry the club on to victory. “Liverpool have something special,” he said. “Klopp has brought this energy. They can win every time, and even when they’re losing they can come back. They have something special I think, and they can win the Europa League for sure.”
Villarreal will be no walkover however, as Klopp testifies: “They are a pretty strong team and are fourth in the Spanish league.
“They are having a wonderful season, they are a wonderful club in a small city. It is clear there are a lot of smart people behind their success. We have to play brave football. We are now in the semi-finals. We got there because we deserved it, and now we have to show we are strong enough to go through.”
Recent statistics back Aubameyang’s view that Klopp has made the difference at Anfield since taking over from Brendan Rodgers in October.
Compared to the four months leading up to 2016, Liverpool now score a goal every 38 minutes as opposed to one every 78 minutes. Their shot conversion has doubled from seven per cent to 14 per cent and their shot accuracy is up from 45 per cent to 52 per cent.
Even with victory over two legs against Villarreal, Liverpool could come up against Sevilla in May 18’s final in Basel, provided the Spaniards overcome the Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk in the other semi as expected.
Having won four Europa League titles in 10 years — twice back-to-back from 2006 to 2007 and 2014 to 2015 — Los Rojiblancos could easily upset the momentum that Liverpool have rediscovered under their bespectacled saviour.
