Despite not winning the league for numerous years, Liverpool have always had the European competitions to look forward to.
In a time when league success was non existent, the Anfield faithful always seemed to have fantastic memories in Europe.
There are countless memories in recent times for the Reds in Europe, but many supporters will allude back to Steven Gerrard’s famous goal against Olympiakos in the group stage which eventually led to the greatest Champions League final in Istanbul, which Liverpool won on penalties in 2005.
It may have been the last time Liverpool won the famous competition, but they were always competitive afterwards and had great nights out against the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid. They did after all make the final again in 2007 against AC Milan, only to come out with no silverware.
One looks back at those days and thinks what a force Liverpool were in Europe. They went to what many consider one of the most intimidating stadiums in Europe and came out with the lot – but what has happened since?
As the years have gone by, Liverpool’s European nights under Rafa Benitez seem a lifetime ago. Getting into the Europa League has been enough of a struggle for the famous club, and when it did manage to gain qualification, it struggled.
But, for the first time since Benitez, Liverpool fans can feel real momentum gathering in terms of competitiveness in Europe.
People will say it is ‘only’ the Europa League, but it is a great place to get back on track.
After Benitez, Liverpool never had a manager with genuine experience and success within Europe and that ultimately is where the problem lied.
That moment in October when Jurgen Klopp signed on the dotted line should never be undervalued. His CV had everything a supporter would want when purely looking at the European scene.
Despite not winning the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund, it still took an almighty effort to make the final in 2013, and there was certainly no shame in losing to Bayern Munich.
Klopp’s experience with Dortmund has been beneficial to this Liverpool side. In fact, it remains unbeaten in the Europa League this season.
On Thursday night, Liverpool had the task of coming up against one of the form teams of world football, Borussia Dortmund.
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As soon as the two clubs were called out for the, tie there was no denying this fixture caught the attention of everyone. Two clubs with incredible support and with Klopp returning to his old club, it was something no one could miss.
What Liverpool supporters and Klopp can take great heart from was just how competitive the boys in red were. After what Dortmund did to Tottenham Hotspur in the previous round, many believed it would be a walk in the park for those in yellow and black, although it proved anything but.
This Liverpool side would rolled over in previous years, but Klopp’s experience has made a huge difference. Liverpool have been awful in Europe for a number of years and to see a performance like this is very encouraging.
The aim was to keep the game alive going to Anfield and Klopp’s side very much did that, but it is not just the performance at the Signal Iduna Park that should have Liverpool supporters feeling confident about their team’s direction in Europe.
Klopp has had to work with what he was given when he came in, and to keep them unbeaten in Europe is a solid achievement.
When you look back at Liverpool’s famous European nights, they all were not about scoring five goals – a lot of them were just grinding out results and digging deep to win the game. That has been visible for quite a few games in Europe for Liverpool this season.
Knocking out Manchester United was the first major step for this Liverpool side in Europe, but if it could do the same to Dortmund, it would have every reason to believe it can win this competition.
There is no point in looking too far ahead, but when one looks at the remaining sides in the competition, Liverpool should feel they have every chance if they can overcome the power of Dortmund at Anfield.
You would have to say Liverpool are in the box seat going into the second leg, although it would be foolish to write off such a quality side in Dortmund.
But even if Liverpool do go out, they have certainly made huge strides in Europe. The competitiveness that gave them so much success back in the day is starting to return and with more quality players brought in next season, then winning this Europa League to gain Champions League qualification should be enough motivation.
If they can win that trophy and gain Champions League qualification then who knows what they could do next season in Europe with Klopp’s additions.
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