Inter, Benfica, Villarreal. With all due respect to those teams, Liverpool definitely had the easiest draw in the finishing stages of the Champions League. Not to say that the Italian champion is an easy opponent, but it was a certainly better option for Jurgen Klopp’s men than, for example, Real Madrid, who faced PSG, followed by champions Chelsea, followed by Manchester City. It looks like everything is falling in place for the English club to reach the finals, as they are faced with the ’easiest’ opponent – Villarreal. The Spanish team surpassed all impossible obstacles, including multiply Champions League winners Bayern and they have nothing to lose in this game, they are already champions in their fans’ hearts.Liverpool vs Villarreal. Klopp vs Emery 👊Who are you going for?#UCL pic.twitter.com/stBSvbxbib— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2022 And that’s the trick. They can be underestimated and that’s when they are the most dangerous. And Liverpool’s boss knows that, as he saw what’s happened to Juventus and Bayern. But he also remembers that Evropa League finals in 2016, when Liverpool played Seville. The Reds just eliminated Unai-less Villarreal, but Emery was waiting for them in the finals, as the coach of Seville, and defeated them 3-1. “That night always sticks out. Because I remember after the game going back to the hotel and the lads were all very disappointed and just wanted to go back to their room, not see anyone and get their heads down. But the gaffer was different to what you expect. He got everyone together downstairs in the bar area and we all spent the night together. It felt as though he knew this was the beginning, the start of something special to come. As a player it is very difficult to think like that then when you’ve just lost a final but I always felt he was very different to anything I’d seen before“ remembers captain Henderson.And Klopp remembers that night very well. but is also concentrated on the game today. “I said that night that we would come back, but without knowing we would come back! But at that moment I really thought we had a chance to come back stronger, and we did. We face a very tough opponent who are made for this competition. The way they set it up is really really good. There might have been a little advantage in the last two games, maybe Juve or Bayern underestimated them but that will never happen to us, especially after the last four games, so this little advantage may have gone. We have properly analysed them and I have a lot of respect for Emery and Villarreal before because I saw the games but only with one eye against Juventus and Bayern Munich a little bit. And meanwhile I watched them properly and wow, impressive!“ said the German tactician. ‘Anfield is hell, they just want to kill everyone’And after taking it at the chin by Emery in 2016, Liverpool started a new chapter, in which they won a Champions League and the Premier League. They also have three Champions League final appearances in five seasons and the German tactician has won all three of his European semi-finals as Liverpool manager. The Spaniard is not a surprise to them, and he knows it. „The surprise factor goes down; the first tie against Juventus the surprise factor was maybe more important. Against Bayern it was important, because we managed to find our own performance and we could use our weapons against another powerful rival. That’s not present any more, but every team who is in the semi-final deserves it, we know they will respect us. We have been able to compete against big teams like Juve and Bayern, so they know it will be a tough game and will have to be 100 percent and give it all at Anfield. What I see gives me huge motivation to try to play the perfect game in order to beat the best Liverpool. They have built a Liverpool team like their coach, with that smile, that energy. We will try to surf the wave of experience we started accumulating last season“ said the former Arsenal manager. Liverpool old boy Daniel Sturridge showers departing Origi with glowing praisesHis players are not worried about the results, as they are huge underdogs, but they are full of confidence and positive mood since they went this far. This is the club’s first Champions League semi-final since 2006 when they narrowly lost 1-0 to Arsenal over two legs. Players are confident as they have won the Europa League last season without losing a single game, and miracles happen all the time in football, so…UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUESemi-finalsTuesdayManchester City – Real Madrid x-x (2-1)/De Bruyne 2, Jesus 11, Foden 53, Bernardo 74 – Benzema 33, Vini Jr. 55/Wednesday22:00: (1.30) Liverpool (6.00) Villareal (11.0)
