哥利摩亞專欄:利物浦仍然有機會贏盡今季四冠王,包括英超,歐聯,足總杯和聯賽杯,但是與曼聯的1999年三冠王來比,仍是要比下去
如果利物浦在這季蠃得四項錦標,又或者短期內曼城嬴出,這無可厚非是一個不錯的成就。
但是這不代表這個四冠王名銜超越1960-61的雙冠王熱刺,1970-71的阿仙奴,或者1985-86的利物浦。這根本不可以與當時1998-1999年三冠王的曼聯雙提並論,他們始終是最偉大的。
我更加不確定這是否史上最偉大的四冠王,因為在1966-67年的些路迪以14名球員去應付比賽,並且在本土頂級聯賽贏得錦標,並且再贏得兩項本土杯賽冠軍和歐聯。
我知到有些人 – 特別年輕一輩 – 會嘲弄和說現今足球是比以前好。我們只需要看看近兩三年英超的曼城及利物浦的得分,對比起其他隊伍,這是一個明顯的差別。
我承認全部是事實,但我同時承認這不是巧合,就好似英超球賽的體能要求低,對抗性低,少了恐嚇性和身體接觸,任何一個誇歐洲的紀錄都一一打破。我們要承認這事實,就是前十年的球隊在差勁的球場作賽,亦同時沒有現時大量金錢投資。
再看看利物浦如何從修咸頓那邊取走雲迪克和文尼。我在聯賽踢球時,拿鐵斯將他全個職業生涯給了修咸頓,但我相信如果今時今日他在聯賽踢球,我想他已被大球會羅致,並去到新球會後,我也不知道他是否在正選名單,還是後備替補。
當年熱刺,阿仙奴和杜格利殊的利物浦全部都靠一個比現在高普的紅軍陣容或曼城陣容少的人腳去捧杯。我再講清楚一點,當以下出色的利物浦和曼城球員如杜格利殊,佐治格拉咸,Danny Blanchflower和其他球員通通都可以再在現在的頂尖球隊裡好似以前一樣發展出色。
話說回來,這球季來說,固定讀者都知道我覺得曼城會贏得英超及歐聯錦標,而利物浦會贏得兩項杯賽冠軍。但這不代表我會驚訝利物浦會贏全部錦標,同樣地,我亦知道他們今晚對華拉利爾的比賽裡絕對會使出他們近期一如往常般的肌肉和腦記憶去爭勝。
我不贊同華拉利爾已和淘汰的路不遠。他們一定需要找到一個方法獲得早段的一個入球,如果他們做到,那隊出線還要對戰後才知。但是以現時利物浦的心態,就算他們在頭五分鐘落後兩球,他們還是會從後居上和贏4-2 ,我仍堅定的認為我們將會見到紅軍與曼城在五月二十八日到訪法國來一場巴黎最後決戰。
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Stan Collymore Column: Liverpool are still on course to win four trophies – Premier League, Champion League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup – this season but Manchester United’s 1999 heroics are still top of the pile
If Liverpool win the Quadruple this season, or if they or Manchester City win it anytime soon, it will obviously be a fantastic achievement.
But it won’t be any greater than Tottenham’s Double win of 1960-61, Arsenal’s in 1970-71, or Liverpool’s in 1985-86. Nor will it be any greater than Manchester United’s Treble triumph in 1998-1999 which, pound for pound, would still be the greatest achievement of them all.
I’m not even sure it would be the greatest Quadruple ever, either, because that accolade surely has to belong to the Celtic team of 1966-67. The Lisbon Lions won the Scottish top flight at a time when it was the equal of the English First Division, two domestic cups and the European Cup … with just 14 players.
I know some of you – youngsters in particular – will scoff and say football is much better these days than it was back then. That we only have to see how many Premier League points have been won over the last two or three years by Liverpool and City, and the huge gap they have created between themselves and the rest of the division, to see that.
I acknowledge all that, but I also acknowledge it can be no coincidence that, as the game has got physically easier, less combative, with less intimidation and less physical contact, every single record across Europe has been broken. We must also nod to the fact those teams of yesteryear played on dreadful pitches and that there wasn’t the financial doping then that there is today.
Look at the way Liverpool picked off Virgil van Dijk and Said Mane from Southampton. When I played, Matt Le Tissier spent his career with the Saints, but he’d have been taken by one of the big boys after a couple of years these days, whether it was to go into their first team or sit on the bench.
Spurs, Arsenal and Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool all hit the heights with smaller squads than Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and City have at their disposal today. And let me be clear, while there are some wonderful players at Liverpool and City, Dalglish, George “Stroller” Graham, Danny Blanchflower and others would all have played in elite teams at the elite level now just as they did back then.
In terms of this season, regular readers will know I fancy City to win the Premier League and Champion League Double, with Liverpool settling for the two domestic cups. But that’s not to say I’d be surprised if Liverpool didn’t win the lot and I know they will be on it from the off against Villarreal tonight out of sheer muscle and brain memory from the way they’ve had to perform in recent days and weeks.
I don’t buy that Villarreal aren’t still in the tie. They just need to figure out a way of getting an early goal and, if they do, it’s game on. But the mentality of this Liverpool team is that even if they went 2-0 down in the first five minutes they would come back and win 4-2, and I’m still adamant we’ll be seeing them and City clashing in Paris on May 28.
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