Liverpool’s quest for a quadruple continued on Thursday evening, as they defeated Sparta Prague 11-2 in the Europa League Round of 16.
Jurgen Klopp’s side led by four goals after the first quarter of an hour at Anfield and will now face Atalanta in the competition’s quarter-finals.
Trying to keep their ambitions of winning another trophy alive, the Reds will face Manchester United on Sunday afternoon for the chance to go to the semi-finals.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s European victory, four Liverpool fans expressed their thoughts in a weekly ECHO fan column.
Rhys Buchanan (Aigburth, @Rhys_Buchanan): Adding to Manchester United’s suffering, a major incentive for Sunday.
As Liverpool fans, we feel like we’re living in a dream right now. To have sailed into the Europa League quarterfinals at Anfield against Sparta Prague and to be so comfortably positioned at the top of the league is more than we could have hoped for at the start of the season. Of course, one more barrier awaits us before we can all unwind for the weekend when the international break resumes.
However, all roads lead to Old Trafford on Sunday. I’m going into this one full of optimism, and I feel Jurgen will go all out for it. With 9000 Liverpool fans in the away end, how fantastic would it be to add to the anguish for the red side of Manchester while keeping our own feel-good element intact? These are the days: Klopp won’t be around for long, so make the most of them.
Andrew Cullen (Widnes, @brothersred5) – Endo continues to be beneath the radar.
What a fantastic effort last Sunday against Manchester City. What a feverish and frenzied mood.
When an opposing player falls to the canvas, the goal is usually to restrict momentum. When City used similar trick on Sunday, they were surprised to find that it did not halt momentum, but rather increased it, as Anfield decibels approached the outskirts of Manchester.
Pep Guardiola’s team was stuck between the maelstrom produced by the Anfield atmosphere and the sharp, cutting rocks of the Liverpool midfield.
Wataru Endo pushed Kevin De Bruyne off his balance during the midfield tussle, causing the City talisman to be dragged off kicking and screaming. The most obvious indicator is that Liverpool has decimated the Sky Blues’ midfield.
While Endo has received some praise this year, he has not received the same level of recognition as Dominik Szoboszlai or Alexis MacAllister, despite the fact that the Japan international has played an important role in Klopp’s 2.0 team. He was signed as a backup but has already moved up to lead Liverpool’s charge.
Guardiola accurately described the Anfield attack as “like a tsunami.” After another great performance at home against Sparta Prague, Liverpool’s Great Wave is gaining speed.
David Shams (Beijing, @ShamsWriter) – Let’s continue our cup success.
Another week has passed, and Liverpool, despite the football gods, stays in all four competitions. We defeated Sparta Prague 11-2 over two legs and will now face Atalanta in the Europa League quarterfinals. Another two matches on the calendar, proving that this season is not a fluke. Whatever rebuild Jurgen Klopp had intended for this season, the outcomes aren’t an outlier. That, in fact, the Liverpool he passes on to his successor will remain a force in the future decade.
In the immediate term, however, a task awaits: a visit to the collapsing heap of despair known as Old Trafford. Of course, our children will rise to the occasion once more, just as they have done in the past. They’ll be okay. Some of our first-choice mainstays will also contribute, serving as a foundation for Klopp’s children as they mature.
A win provides us another chance to prolong this fantastic run, which is even more special for the most apparent reason. But, more crucially, the run is preparing for a future without our talismanic manager and some of our aging stars.
