A year ago the mighty Liverpool F.C did the unthinkable and knocked out the Spanish giants Barcelona to book their place in the UEFA Champions League final of 2018/19 season.
The Reds were presumed to be dead and buried after losing the first-leg of the Semi-finals 3-0 at the Camp Nou, the home of Barcelona. Though the Liverpool players fought hard in that game, the magician Lionel Messi scored a stunning free kick which crushed their spirits.
It was thought as mission impossible to make a comeback in the second leg of the semi-finals at the iconic Anfield after that defeat in the first leg. But few people did not let that defeat put a damper on their spirits which include the manager Jurgen Klopp and his first squad.
Along with the Liverpool’s manager and the players, there was one other man who believed in the magic of Anfield. That was the former boss and manager of the arch rivals Manchester United, Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager has always showed almighty respect for Liverpool. Despite managing nemeses Chelsea and Manchester United, the decorated coach has regularly lauded the passion of Scousers and their support for the club.
During the pre-match press conference ahead of the mesmerizing Liverpool-Barcelona clash at Anfield, Mourinho openly admitted on air that though it was a very difficult task to accomplish but it can still be possible just because it is in Anfield where impossible becomes possible.
He said: “I said if it’s possible, Anfield is one of the places to make it happen.”
Later on during the game, a first strike from Origi and a quick-fire double from Georginio Wijnaldum turned the game on its head before Origi again struck with 11 minutes remaining for the full time to complete mission impossible and seal his side’s place in the final.
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The result sent shock waves throughout the world of football with Klopp and his side receiving plenty of compliments afterwards.
And one man who was quick to praise the Reds was old foe Jose Mourinho, who showered praise on Klopp and the power of Anfield after the Reds emerged victorious at Anfield.
“I didn’t expect it, I said impossible is nothing,” he told beIN Sports.
“I said if it’s possible, Anfield is one of the places to make the impossible be possible, But I have to say that for me, this has one name – Jurgen.
“I think this is not about tactics, this is not about philosophy, this is about heart and soul, and a fantastic empathy he created with this group of players.
“They had the risk of finishing a fantastic season without anything to celebrate, and now they are one step from being European champions.”
Jose Mourinho has got a bad reputation all over the Europe regarding his rivalries and his mental tactics with the managers of different clubs but he was very brave and kind enough to praise his opponent Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool club which is the arch nemesis of Jose’s previous clubs as manager, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Jose further went on to say after that match: “I think Jurgen deserves, you know, the work they are doing in Liverpool is fantastic. But I think this is about him, this is a reflection of his personality, don’t give up, a fighting spirit, every playing giving everything.
“He’s not crying because he’s missing a player, he’s not crying because they are playing 50 or 60 matches per season.
“Other coaches in other leagues they are crying, saying their players are playing too many matches when they play 30 or 35 matches. Everything I think today is about Jurgen’s mentality.”
That was a rare praise for Klopp from Mourihno, but it was not the first time Mourinho has praised Anfield.
The former Chelsea boss said the Kop was responsible for Luis Garcia’s “ghost goal” that dumped his side out of the Champions League at the same stage in 2005.
Speaking ahead of the Barcelona game, he said: “Anfield is a magic place to play, it is a beautiful place to play.
‘They can even score goals that the players don’t score, like it happened in 2005.
‘It wasn’t Garcia that scored the goal, it was the crowd that scored the goal.”
In 2015, Mourinho asked Stamford Bridge to be more like Anfield ahead of a League Cup semi-final against the Reds.
“If Stamford Bridge can give us 25% of the emotion Anfield gives Liverpool, I think we can do it. Liverpool, instead of 40,000 fans, they will have five or 10 (thousand),” he said.
And in 2017 he remarked that it was “beautiful to play at Anfield” before making the trip with Manchester United.
Mourinho has also accepted the power and magic of the Anfield and hailed its atmosphere several times. In a recent interview after the clash between Liverpool and Spurs, his present club as a manager the dynamic and decorated Portuguese had said:
“I felt the power of Anfield, it was magnificent. I felt it didn’t interfere with my players but maybe it interfered with other people and maybe it interfered with the result.”
The Reds would go on to claim their sixth European Cup in the final, beating Tottenham Hotspurs 2-0 at Atletico Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, but it was that magical European night at Anfield that will never be forgotten by the footballing world.
