The Boys Are Back In Town

That was fun, wasn’t it? It is easy to forget that this is a leisure activity at times, but we choose to put ourselves through it. There can be times when things are going against you and it feels like a chore. It chews you up and spits you out but these boys keep you coming back for more.

Wins like the one we got on Sunday remind you what you’re in it for. It shows what can be achieved
even when we aren’t firing on all cylinders. If the team, manager, and supporters work in unison we
can achieve anything we want. It was a throwback performance to a time not so long
ago, but a time that felt distant a few weeks back.

READ MORE: The Heights To Which They Rise by David Jennings

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Liverpool isn’t “back” just yet. There have been plenty of reality checks and there will be challenges
to come but it is the first time this season that there has been a palpable sense of belief among
everybody connected with the club. Our boys beat the best side on the planet and deserved to do
so. You aren’t human if you can’t take confidence from that.

It was a performance to restore faith with the backdrop to match. These players have gone toe-to-toe
with Manchester City for the past five years and one dip in form doesn’t diminish that. This team has been desperate to demonstrate it all year. We may well have left ourselves with too much to do in
terms of actually catching City again this season, but the belief that comes with a victory like that is
unquantifiable.

A Rivalry No Matter The Origin

We know better than most the impact a unified force can have. When Jurgen Klopp talked about
turning doubters into believers in his first-ever press conference he meant at all times, not just when
it’s easy and convenient. Last season Liverpool was a winning machine that made it extremely easy
to believe, but writing this side off at the first sign of turmoil achieves nothing. Negativity is
contagious. If anyone has earned our unconditional trust and unwavering support it is these boys.

Anfield came alive on Sunday and with good reason. The rivalry with Manchester City has simmered through the last decade and a big part of that has been that we both want a bit of what the other
has. It is an unusual dynamic in that both sets of supporters, and to an extent players and staff, are
jealous of each other. Man City long for the respect and validation that comes with being a global
superpower, while Liverpool wants their league titles.

Across the pond, most of us will insist on telling you that Everton and Manchester United are still the
season’s biggest games. We almost don’t want to give City the affirmation that comes with being
one of our biggest rivalries. As supporters, we’d prefer to refer to it as a manufactured feud. What is indisputable, however, is that we as supporters always raise our game when the Citizens come to town. That was the loudest I’ve heard Anfield in quite some time, certainly since the pandemic. Manufactured or otherwise, that doesn’t happen for teams we don’t care about.

I’d be interested to know where our American supporters view Manchester City in the realm of our
biggest rivals. Does it get the juices flowing in the same way the Merseyside Derby does? Let me
know!

Building On The Big Win

We’re on to a quick turnaround on Wednesday with West Ham. Dropping more points would undo so much of the hard work to rebuild momentum and, quite frankly, Liverpool is still a long way short of where they need to be. It is a sprint to the World Cup break and the team needs to be in significantly better shape going into that break than they are currently.

The Hammers will present a different challenge to the champions, yet anything other than a win will derail us once more. It has been a fragile season with more knocks than boosts and there has to come a point where Liverpool draws a line under it. There are few better opportunities to do that than utilizing the momentum from beating Manchester City.

Sunday was a party, the serious stuff comes next. This season was by no means over regardless of
the score against City. There are trophies to be won and a Champions League that isn’t going to
qualify for itself. Five winnable league games separate our boys from the World Cup and the irregular break that comes with it.

Six months ago you’d have had no doubts about Liverpool’s ability to take 15 points
from those. These are the same players with the same manager. Let’s go and do it then.
And more importantly for us, let’s remember to have fun while we’re doing it. These boys have
given us some of the best days and nights of our lives. I don’t think it’s overstating it to say that
Sunday was one of those.

UP THE REDS.