Liverpool are going to recover their form and cause a shock in the Champions League next month.
That’s the view of former Reds full-back Djimi Traore. Traore took to Twitter after Liverpool’s 3-0 loss against Brighton yesterday. Although admitting that it’s ‘painful’ to watch his old team right now, the Malian predicted that they’ll be back.
“It’s painful to watch LFC at moment but I believe on team to come back stronger in next few weeks and surprise everyone on Champions League,” he wrote.
“LFC never give up and trust Klopp to bring back the team on top 3. We need reinforcement in middle of the park.”
Stranger things have happened
In the midst of all the doom and gloom of Liverpool’s domestic season, it’s been easy to forget about the Champions League.
Depending on your view of things, that could either have been a blessing or a mistake.
On the one hand, a tie against the European Champions doesn’t sound good right now. Real Madrid have had Liverpool’s number in recent years and with the likes of Brighton now hammering them, that doesn’t bode well.
But on the other, it gives the Reds an opportunity for some respite.
Traore should know all about this, having done exactly the same thing during the 2004/05 season. Back then, Liverpool were equally as rotten in the Premier League as they are now.
On the European stage though, they were a completely different beast. They famously marched all the way to the final in Istanbul where they duly served up the greatest Champions League final of all time. And left with Ol’ Big Ears in their luggage.
As fate would have it, this season’s final also happens to be in the Turkish capital.
Should this Liverpool team turn things around, it would arguably be a greater shock than the one Traore’s team pulled off. The Reds are at such a low ebb, with no coherent game plan to speak off, that it’s hard to see them beating anyone at all. But that’s the beauty of football. You just never know. Come on Reds, there’s still so much football to be played.