LIVERPOOL VS SPURS
Sunday May 5th, 4:30pm
Liverpool @ 10/21
Spurs @ 9/2
Draw @ 17/4
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Co-written by Neil Sedaka and first released in 1962, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do became a hit in the UK again, 10 years later, when it was recorded by the twee, musical sitcom stars The Partridge Family.
Though an unlikely choice to be on the playlist of a manager who pioneered something called ‘Heavy Metal Football’, I can’t help but picture Jürgen Klopp tapping his finger on the steering wheel, humming along to its saccharine melody, and grinning widely as he drives to Anfield for his penultimate competitive home fixture this Sunday.
Not grinning with joy, I should clarify, but inanely; more with a sense of profound, perplexed disbelief. It is a look he has displayed from the touchline on more than one occasion in the last few weeks. Things haven’t panned-out the way he hoped, you see – the amicable break-up has broken down.
Klopp possesses a rare ability to will unlikely results into being. The remarkable comeback wins in Europe against Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were enough to cause even the most devout atheists to seriously question their belief in the non-existence of divine power.
So it is unsurprising that he truly believed he could inspire his charges to perform further miracles; pump the players so full of confidence that bagging a selection of farewell trophies would be almost inevitable. Despite the fact that this Liverpool team – minus a few departures and arrivals last summer – finished in 5th place in 2023; some 22 points behind Manchester City.
Klopp possesses a rare ability to will unlikely results into being.
Furthermore, while this season’s new arrivals have fared well on the whole, the players who signed two years ago, and were expected to kick-on this season, have not. Combine this with a threadbare Klopp, and a distracted star in Mo Salah – whose interest in one last collective effort seems to have evaporated completely – and it is perhaps surprising Liverpool got as close to glory on multiple fronts as they did.
But sport rarely delivers the endings to careers we fans want, or that players and managers may feel they deserve. Sport is completely indifferent to our desires; to the euphoric, emotionally satisfying narratives we have crafted in our heads. All it cares about is that the team or individual who gets the most points on the board takes home the trophy.
After having to accept this harsh reality, Liverpool, then, could do with a nice, easy, winnable fixture to add some cheer to the faltering coda of their final Klopp campaign. Is that what they are going to get?
Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur is a 4:30pm kick-off on Sunday.
Spurs have their own campaign conclusion to attend to, and it also very much in need of a boost. Three defeats on the spin, including a poor performance against Chelsea on Thursday night; their season is in danger of turning very sour, very quickly.
It’s not just Klopp who will soon be emptying out his locker into a cardboard box. Many top players are also currently brow-furrowed; hunched over their Davenport desks with a quill and ink, preparing the early drafts of their solemn farewell addresses.
Thiago Silva’s time at Stamford Bridge will be up on May 19th, and fellow centre-back Raphaël Varane looks to be saying au revoir to Old Trafford in a few weeks too. And what will become of his ‘team-mate’ Jadon Sancho; so impressive in the Champions League in midweek? Does he have a future in Manchester? Or has that relationship been irrevocably broken too?
It’s not just Klopp who will soon be emptying out his locker into a cardboard box.
Breaking up is hard to do, regardless of who is singing the tune. And ending a sporting relationship can be even harder. Because, for one thing, at least when a regular relationship ends, Matt Doherty isn’t going to score a highly unexpected, last-minute worldie that completely changes the state of play…just as you’re saying your final goodbye…
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