SARAH insists that her team, Liverpool, will win the English League this season. I see no reason to disagree, given the team’s outstanding performance thus far. Their fans are everywhere, donning the red jersey when they gather at mamak shops to watch the games.
This particular mamak is very proactive. He got his waiters to also wear the Liverpool jersey! “Itu boss suruh pakai. Ini dia punya team,” Pal, a Nepalese said, pointing to his boss at the cash register. (The boss asked us to wear the jersey. Liverpool is his team.) I told you, the Kop supporters are everywhere.
They are passionate about their team. They said this is their year to parade the trophy. They have been waiting for almost 20 years and they can’t be disappointed again. This season, the team play one two with Manchester City, the other serious contender for the title.
For a while it looked as if Totenham Hotspurs would also be vying for the top spot, but that challenge was short-lived. Spurs may have to settle for one of the top four spots, thus enabling them to play in the Champions League next season.
But the team to watch this season is Liverpool, managed by Jurgen Klopp, who took Borussia Dortmund to the German title before jumping across the English channel to join the Merseyside club. Klopp’s brand of management seemed to gel well with the players who responded with skilful displays each time they took to the field.
For many years, some Liverpool fans kept their team jersey away. Most were reluctant to wear them, except for the diehard fans.
Today, these fans proudly wear them and you can see old jerseys coming out, even those with the Carlsberg brand on the front.
I’m a Manchester United fan, but I’m quite objective in my assessment of the Red Devils. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have done some wonders at Old Trafford, but he’s a novice compared to Klopp. The German masterclass is among the top names in the world of football today.
MU have seen better days. Jose Mourinho, also a top manager with strong credentials, couldn’t fit into MU fans’ DNA of a United manager, as did David Moyes and Lois Van Gaal. And off they went into the sunset, red carded by the United’s fanatics.
The rivalry between Liverpool and Man Utd is legendary. Not even the rivalry between Liverpool and Everton or Arsenal and Spurs can come near. Liverpool is very much on the ascendancy now and other teams must give them due respect.
Solskjaer must learn from Klopp, who, patiently and painstakingly rebuilt a side when others before him had failed. Brendan Rodgers, Kenny Dalglish, Rafael Benitez, Roy Hodgson, Gerard Houlier and Graeme Souness did their best, but had very little or no success.
Klopp’s brand of management reflects today’s football management — open, good interaction with players and fans, articulate and wearing their hearts on their sleeves during games.
Not the Sir Alf Ramsey type of England’s World Cup winning team of 1966, or Leeds United’s Don Revie.
Liverpool is a team with great tradition, having been European Cup champions five times in the 1980s, easily beating Man Utd’s three. For now, Man Utd will have to contend with being an also-ran in the English league, a role well played by Liverpool for many years. Man Utd won’t be picking up new trophies in the next few years because rebuilding a team will take years, as shown by Klopp.
Young fans of both teams may not know it, but both clubs have a few things in common. Man Utd’s legendary manager Sir Matt Busby played for Liverpool before eventually managing the Red Devils and took the club to their first European Cup triumph beating Eusebio’s Benfica 4-1 at Wembley in 1968.
In more recent times, Liverpool hero Michael Owen played for both clubs, a rare distinction indeed. Owen, who played for England in the Youth world cup in Johor Baru many years ago, is one of a small number of players who would walk into both teams stadiums and be greeted with applause and respect.
Today, one other thing in common with both clubs is the presence of Muslim players, who, in their own right, have proven to be very successful and iconic. There is Mohamed Salah at the Kop and Paul Pogba at Theatre of Dreams.
Both players played in the last World Cup in 2018. As we all know, Pogba went home with a winner’s medal, but Salah’s injury before the finals was a big letdown for him personally and to Egypt.
Pogba and Salah proved to everyone in the Muslim world that nothing is impossible if you train hard, are disciplined and prepared to sacrifice to advance your career. These two players are doing their own dakwah through their excellent work on and off the field. Alhamdulillah!
To round up this week’s article, I recall a story about Liverpool that appeared in an old football magazine. Bill Shankly, Liverpool’s most famous manager, was asked what was his second favourite team. His crisp respond: “It’s Liverpool Reserve.”
Do I need to say more? I always tell my friends from both the Liverpool and Man Utd camps: “You never walk alone! United Forever!”
Twitter: @aatpahitmanis
The writer is a former NST group editor. His first column appeared on Aug 27, 1995, as ‘Kurang Manis’