There are only two clubs I have enjoyed watching: Barcelona and Liverpool. I became a fan of club football five years ago. I enjoyed the era of the Galácticos of Real Madrid- seeing Zidane, Beckham, Carlos, Ronaldo Lima etc, play football was a joy to behold. Later, I started watching Ronaldinho of Barcelona- thanks to that free kick he scored against England in the 2002 world cup. But beyond the occasional time of watching football when two big teams compete, I was solely a super eagles fan. For me, why should I support a team that I’m not affiliated with in any way? I feel it is a waste of time. It’s so weird when people who have never even been to an airport before argue for their team; you will hear something like, “I bought that player for $50m”.
Boredom changed my story in 2018. I just changed jobs and only saw my family once a month or sometimes once in 6 weeks. With the scorching heat of the North and trying to keep a low profile because of the security threat, I spent the entire 48 hours of the weekend in the room doing little or nothing. Coincidentally, I saw Liverpool playing with another team whenever I went out to get food. Coupled with my MD being a Liverpool fan and my former two colleagues being scousers, I became interested in watching Liverpool, especially during weekends.
I became a complete Liverpool fan the night Liverpool defeated Barcelona in 2019. I could count how many Liverpool matches I have missed since then. The mentality of winning every week made my weekend. I enjoyed taunting other teams and enjoyed the mentality the team displayed every time- the never die mentality. I remember the 2-1 defeat of Aston Villa, where Mane scored in the dying minute. You can never be prouder being a Liverpool fan.
Liverpool dipped in 2021 when Virgil Van Dijk had an injury that almost terminated his career. Thiago, Henderson, and Firmino also had injuries that year. It was sheer luck before Liverpool could make the top four- thanks to West Brom’s Allison’s last-minute goal.
The year 2022 would have been the biggest year for Liverpool, as they chased four trophies simultaneously. They won both the FA and Carling Cups. They got to the champions league finals and chased Man city for the EPL title till the last day. They won the two least prestigious titles. Whether that destroyed their mentality or not, I do not know. Also, you have the team’s core members losing form almost simultaneously and some peaking in age simultaneously. Players like Arnold, Fabinho, Van Dijk, and Salah lost form; Mane left the team.
This year, Liverpool has lost nine matches in the EPL. For context, Liverpool only lost 1, 3 and 2 games in 2019, 2020 and 2022, respectively. In 2021, they also lost nine matches, but the reason is understandable, but there is no excuse in 2023. Is the Liverpool era coming to an end? Can they be revived in 2024? Time will tell. However, I do not look forward to their matches anymore.
