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Whatever happens on Saturday in Kiev, it’s been a special season for Liverpool. Whatever happens on Saturday, the club’s fans have had the chance to watch what may well be the most talented and exciting Liverpool side in the past twenty years.
And whatever happens on Saturday, this looks to be a collection of players with a manager in Jürgen Klopp that will only get stronger and better in the coming seasons. It’s not just the fans for whom the 2017-18 season has been a special one, though.
“It was the most powerful football I’ve seen,” said Klopp, reflecting on Liverpool’s journey to reach the Champions League final and, in particular, their two memorable home games in the knockout rounds against first Manchester City and then Roma.
“As a unit, with our supporters together, we were unstoppable,” continued the Liverpool manager. “The whole stadium was unstoppable. These European nights, I heard a lot about it before I came to Liverpool but they are special.
“I really think that the first half of the City game and maybe the first 50-60 minutes of the Roma game was the most powerful football I have ever been part of. It was unbelievable. I don’t have the right words for it but it was a fantastic experience.”
A fantastic experience—a pair of fantastic experiences—in a fantastic, exciting, promising season. One that isn’t over yet. One that, with a win on Saturday, would see this Liverpool side write themselves into the club’s long and storied history.
From the qualifiers against Hoffenheim through the group stages. Against Porto and City and Roma and next up Real Madrid. Liverpool haven’t just won; haven’t just managed to find a way to advance. They have, more often than not, dominated.
And they’ve done it while playing some of the most consistently thrilling football fans of the club—or of European football in general—will have ever seen. Whatever happens next, it’s been special. Whatever happens next, the future looks bright.
“If—if—we win the competition then the road to Kiev plus the final would be one of the most exceptional rides ever,” Klopp added. “The number of goals we scored, the records, all that stuff. So far, it was just outstanding.”