The Two European Heavyweights
The Champions League Final has finally been decided and it is Liverpool and Real Madrid. Liverpool has not been at the top European stage for eleven years in which they lost to AC Milan 2–1 but under Jurgen Klopp and powered by three of the best attackers in Europe, the team has reinvented itself as a free-scoring side that could simply blow teams away with a barrage of goals. Real Madrid on the other hand are a completely different side in terms of recent history, Real have been to four Finals in the last five years despite an ageing squad and many different management changes. Real are led by possibly the best player in the world, Ronaldo who just seems to love the bright lights that the Champions League provides.
It is impossible to say which team will win the Final due to the fact Liverpool’s attack can score when they want and Real Madrid just have such an overwhelming talent advantage. Real have at least a top-ten football player in each position for the team, it is a team that has the luxury of bringing either Gareth Bale or Asensio off the bench depending on who Zinedine Zidane wants. Both teams are incredibly well-versed in European competition.
Real Madrid are the most dominant team in the Champions League, it is a team that has been built off pure star power for its entirety during its rich European history. During the 1950s, it was Di Stefano and Puskas taking Real Madrid to European glory on a regular basis, in the late 90s it was a Galaticos side that powered Real to three straight Champions League victories and now it is Cristiano Ronaldo being a force of nature taking Real to the Final over and over again. It is impossible to describe Real’s dominance of European football especially when they have played some of the most difficult competition in Europe this season alone. Real have played Juventus, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich, all champions of their domestic league and beat all of them over two legs to get to Kiev. It is a team that has taken the hardest road out of all Finalists and yet it is has been calm and assured throughout the entire knockout stage.
Real Madrid at times have been almost complacent and arrogant in their way they have progressed through the competition due to the fact they constantly find ways to win. One of the best players in the world is a huge help as Ronaldo will constantly get goals especially when it seems like Real are in a dire situation. They have been able to coast to some extent and then just flip the switch when it is needed as they have such individual talents. A player like Karim Benzema gets so much criticism as he does not score as many goals as critics would like but he scored two critical goals against Bayern Munich that made Bayern chase the tie and make panicked decisions in front of goal.
This team feels a little bit like the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that has starpower and can be taken out of games or made uncomfortable but still find a way to win the tie. It is strange to make this comparison but this Real side does not feel like any other European side, past or present in their ability to look vulnerable before taking over games. Los Blancos’ vulnerability is evident from their league football this year, they are third in La Liga and are fifteen points behind Barcelona, a team that lost its player for the future just last summer. Even in the Champions League, Real seemed like a wily heavyweight boxer, it was rocked a few times by Juventus and even lost to Spurs during the group stages but the team has managed to keep it together and grind games out.
Liverpool are a team that are at the opposite end of the spectrum, it has a long history with European football but it is the first time that the team from Merseyside has reached the zenith of European football since 2007. The team has been in the competition infrequently since that point with brief European journeys being led by Rafa Benitez and Brendan Rodgers respectively but now it seems that Jurgen Klopp’s team has the skill and motivation to be serious over-achievers.
In terms of history, English football teams did not do all that well until Liverpool in the late 1970s/ earrly 1980s began an era in which three British teams won the European cup in six successive years. The first European cup for Liverpool came in 1977 under the leadership of Bob Paisley and Emlyn Hughes before this team repeated in 1978 with Kenny Dalglish scoring the only goal of the tie. For the next two years, Nottingham Forest under the volatile Brian Clough won the tournament before Liverpool came back in the 1981 final to play none other than Real Madrid. This is the only time that Liverpool and Real have played in each other in the final of Europe’s premier cup competition.
In 1981, Liverpool maintained the same spine of the team that had won a double in 1977 and 1978 except for a few changes. Emlyn Hughes had retired and Phil Thompson stepped up in his place and became the captain of a team that had Kenny Dalglish, Alan Hansen, Graeme Souness and Alan Kennedy as the base of Liverpool’s squad. Real Madrid were similarly home-grown in terms of talent with players like Michel coming out of the academy and establishing themselves as leading lights for a Real Madrid that played tough, gritty football. Both teams had comfortable periods during the game but Ray Kennedy managed to steal a goal during the 82nd minute of the game which eventually meant that Liverpool won the tie and a record third European cup for Bob Paisley, no manager had won three European cups before Paisley.
In 1984, Liverpool who were now managed by Joe Fagan managed to win a European cup against Roma at their home ground, the Stadio Olimpico. BY now, the majority of Liverpool were used to high-stakes game and were comfortable with winning games in which there was a lot of pressure. It was a golden era for Liverpool in which the aim was to stack up as many trophies as possible. At the end of the game, the 1984 European cup final was dictated by Bruce Grobbelaar’s wobbly legs which put off the Roma penalty-takers and led Liverpool to win another European cup.
Over the next twenty one years, Liverpool drifted through Europe without ever really threatening the dominant European sides, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. However in 2005, a certain Liverpool achieved the impossible, they came back from a 3–0 deficit at half-time and won the game on penalties in a game that has become known as the ‘Miracle of Istanbul’. There are certain parallels between Liverpool in 2018 and Liverpool in 2005, both teams lost one of their key players and both teams played a dominant European side.
In the 2000s, AC Milan had assembled a team that was full of world-class players who could feasibly walk into any European side and win trophies. Like any traditional Italian side, it had a strong defensive presence that was led by the veteran skipper, Paolo Maldini but it also had an amazing midfield and a dynamic striker. The Seedorf/Kaka partnership in midfield worked like a charm as one player was the steel and the other was the style who could play wonderous balls and marshal his players like a general. Seedorf and Kaka were also very good at creating chances for the extremely talented Andriy Shevchenko who often finished chances with deadly precision.
On the other hand, Liverpool had Djimi Traore in defences, Milan Baros up top and a semi-fit Harry Kewell playing in midfield. However, Liverpool had one of the best midfield partnerships ever, Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard. Alonso played deeper and spread balls around the pitch whereas Steven Gerrard attacked the ball and drove forward into the last third of the pitch. It was because of these two players along with Benitez’s tactical changes that managed to drag Liverpool back from an impossible deficit against a side that had won the Champions League just two seasons prior. Liverpool won the game and their fifth major European honour with Steven Gerrard establishing himself as one of the best players in the world and Rafa Benitez being a tactical genius.
While Liverpool faded, Real Madrid became incredibly ruthless and won three Champions League in the space of four years, the only team that broke this period of European dominance was a Barcelona team that was powered by Messi, Neymar and Suarez. In 2014, Real’s ‘La Decima’, they played their local rivals, Atletico Madrid in a game that meant more than just tribalism on an European level. It was the expensive, superstar laden Real team led by Ronaldo, Ramos and Casillas against the homegrown combative Atleti team which consisted of Alderweireld, Gabi and Diego Costa. It was a hugely tight game and Real were chasing the game for ninety minutes after Godin scored a header in the 36th minute. That being said, the sheer starpower wore down Atletico Madrid and Real secured a victory in extra time by winning 4–1. It was also the beginning of Ronaldo’s dominance of the Champions League, he scored something like seventeen goals in the competition and had five assists as he led ‘Los Blancos’ to their first Champions League since the turn of the century.
In 2016, it was a rematch of the 2014 Final with Real playing Atleti again, the teams were the same but both teams had retooled with Griezmann now playing for Atleti and Real Madrid adding a strong defensive presence in the form of Casemiro. Real was a team who had gone through huge changes since the last Final, Ancelotti was moved on for reasons that Florentino Perez could not explained, there was a disastrous stint with Rafa Benitez before a Real legend was appointed to be manager. Zidane has enjoyed many great moments with Madrid as a player but he was a rookie manager who was enjoying his first Champions League Final as a manager. The game involved another important Sergio Ramos goal and another late-game equalizer that was courtesy of Yannick Carrasco. This time Atleti made it to penalties but only for Ronaldo to ruthlessly bury the last penalty and win Real Madrid another European crown. The 2017 Final was much of the same with Real dominantly beating a very good Juventus and Ronaldo again starring as their main guy.
Now, in 2018 it will be youthful attacking football against the experienced conquerors of Europe. It will be extremely interesting to see how both teams defend each other, Real Madrid love playing attacking fullbacks which will obviously create space for Firmino, Salah and Mane to operate. Real have a solid centre-back pairing but it will be interesting to see how Sergio Ramos will deal with being forced to close down the ball and run around the pitch after Salah. On the same train of thought, it will be very interesting to see hiw Dejan Lovren deal with Cristiano Ronaldo, both centre-backs are passable at winning aerial duels whereas Ronaldo excels in these situations. Real Madrid have the obvious talent but Liverpool have the ability to bang those goals in very quickly and could put the game away before it reaches half-time. I have to fancy Liverpool to win this game based on their direct style of play but it will be very close with goals either way.
