Liverpool had not participated in the Europa League for 2,682 days.
The painful final defeat of the 2015-16 season to Spanish side Sevilla in Basel, the last time Jurgen Klopp prepared a squad to participate in European second-division club competition. None of the 18 players who showed up that night in Switzerland are still at Liverpool.
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His involvement in an organisation that includes LASK, Union Saint-Gilloise and Toulouse is an embarrassment after a memorable six-season spell against the continental elite in the Champions League, in which they triumphed in the final three times and won once, but Klopp has vowed to accept it as he looks to return Liverpool to the richness and glamour of UEFA’s occasion at this time next year.
For example, one week in which Manchester United headed to Munich and Newcastle United returned to Milan, Liverpool enthusiasts traveled to the picturesque northern Austrian city of Linz to face LASK, their club’s 135th opponent in European competition.
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The sun is shining on the banks of the Danube, beer is flowing and there is no sign of their new continental campaign, which will also take them to Brussels, the Belgian capital, and the south of France, with anything but enthusiasm.
“When we didn’t qualify for the Champions League last season, my first reaction was to think we would move on to bigger positions,” said Stephen Wright, who has followed Liverpool in Europe for 40 years.
“I know it sounds tired, but I’m tired of going to the same old places. I can no longer get lost in Madrid or Milan because I have been there many times.
“When will you come to Linz? It is like a magical and mysterious visit. I flew from Manchester to Prague (three hours north of the Czech Republic) and then took the plane here. I thought we were back in England as we had to get there. for a replacement bus service.
“As Bill Shankly said, family products are the bread and butter is on top. I like European games better. I’m lucky to see us win it all.
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Linz’s Chelsea Pub has been renamed King Kenny’s this week and, judging by the crowd outside, this is proving to be a sensible move by management. However, those veterans opted for a quieter, off-the-beaten-path spot: the Beer Lawn at nearby Schindler’s Heuriger restaurant, before taking the 30-minute walk to the stadium.
The Wrights accumulated more than a century of history in Europe after Liverpool.
“It’s more attractive to be in Europe because you have new places to visit. That’s the big attraction,” he says. He expected us to play against groups from Azerbaijan and Israel. The novelty fades when you visit the same major European cities.
“It’s very important for Linz to have Liverpool here and the others have been very welcoming. But it’s not an easily accessible position. I know guys who only come home on Saturday because they come back from Bratislava (Slovakia) Copenhagen (Denmark). This shows the commitment you have to have to stay with the Reds.
His Chris Ellis, who lives in Cheshire and has followed Liverpool to Europe since the early 1980s, nods approvingly.
“There is a story to tell after every European away game,” he said. “Other people don’t care, but we had some wonderful nights at the old UEFA Cup (the predecessor to the Europa League from 1971 to 2009). . The 2001 final against Alavés in Dortmund was a fixture. The fact that this season’s final is being held in Dublin also adds a little extra. It would be a simple day trip. We can just swim up there! »
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Liverpool won just 1,355 tickets for the 19,000-capacity LASK stadium, priced at just £17 ($21) each, and they were temporarily recovered. Vincent Leggett made the entrances to the German city of Cologne, where he owns the Corkonian Irish Pub, which has made many friendships with Liverpool enthusiasts over the more than 30 years.
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“My first European away match in Strasbourg (France) at this festival in 1997. We were terrible and lost 3-0,” he recalls. Following Liverpool led me to meet those guys. When we move on to Porto, Madrid, Rome, there There is nothing special for the people there. They are used to large groups in the city.
“But when you get to a position like this, it’s different. You pass by shops, bars and restaurants, other people are interested. They need to talk to you about Liverpool. It sounds like a real adventure.
Siegmund Gruber looks out over the abandoned Raiffeisen Arena from the comfort of his sumptuous executive lounge.
It’s 10am on a fit day and the LASK president drinks a coffee, smokes a cigarette and reflects on the Austrian club’s remarkable adventure over the past decade.
Gruber is part of an organization of local entrepreneurs that rescued him from the brink of bankruptcy in 2013.
“We were in the 3rd division. We had no field, we had nowhere to train, we didn’t have an office,” he told The Athletic. “The players asked for hot water because the showers were only cold. As far as the players trained, there was a dog play area, but the fence was not very good, so the dogs jumped on it and pointed for us.
“Players were banned from throwing their shirts at fans after games because we didn’t have enough to update them. We’ve come a long way since then. Now we face Liverpool. LASK is back.
How did they do it?
“I would have to communicate with you for two or three weeks to be able to fully understand you,” laughs the 49-year-old. “But let’s just say it took a lot of work. The only way to succeed is to paint harder than others.
“I’ve been a fan of this club for over 35 years. I grew up nearby. I am a tax accountant, I have sold corporations and I also deal with real estate. I have been a sponsor since about 2008 and now as President, this club occupies about 95% of my time. It’s making money. I do it out of love.
This is LASK’s fourth European organisational level since promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga in 2017. For a club that has been the main honour since winning the league and cup double in 1965, competing at this continental level of the moment is a source of interest and wonderful pride. It also provides a primary monetary boost.
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They reached the knockout stages of the Europa League in 2019-20, where they were defeated 7-1 on aggregate by Manchester United (the two matches were played five months apart due to the pandemic, the moment in an empty Old Trafford due to the crowds). The following year, they retired after an organisational level that included a 3–3 draw against Tottenham. In 2021–22, they reached the knockout levels of the Europa League. , UEFA’s third most important club competition, where they lost 7-5 on aggregate to Slavia Prague.
After finishing third in the national standings last season, they beat Zrinjski Mostar of Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-2 in the August play-offs to be here.
“We appreciate this opportunity and it’s a huge financial advantage for us, a big help to our budget,” Gruber added. “Just getting to the organisation level is worth €3. 6 million (€3. 1 million, €3. 8 million), and then you get €210,000 for every point earned. For context, the maximum amount for which we have bought a player is around 3 million euros.
“Of course, in the Champions League you can multiply the numbers of the units by five (it costs 15. 6 million euros just to reach the level of organization), so for Liverpool it is like having to divide everything by five to be in the Europa League this season. , but for us it is important.
The small but impressive Raiffeisen Arena opened in February. It was built in an area of 15 months for 90 million euros. This stopover in Liverpool was highly anticipated since the organization’s draw 3 weeks ago, and tickets sell out quickly. Local news site MeinBezirk called it “the game of the century. “
“We have played against Manchester United and Tottenham in recent years, although on both occasions we had to play without fans due to Covid,” Gruber said.
“We are very happy that Liverpool are here and we intend to fight like hell. We need to be underestimated, but I don’t think Klopp will allow that to happen. He described himself as “normal” and we appreciate others. which are like that here.
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“All the stadiums in which this club played belonged to the city. Now we’re in a new stadium we own and we play Liverpool in front of a packed crowd, so I’d say it’s the most important day this club has ever had. We will deserve it.
LASK did.
It might have been the second-rate nightclub festival in Europe, but the atmosphere last night was anything but mediocre.
The fanatical house cheered on coach Thomas Sacker’s team in the first half, with Florian Flecker in the 14th minute going ahead and threatening to increase that lead.
However, for the fourth time in five games, Liverpool rallied to win and regain their composure. It helps to be able to call on substitutes of the calibre of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah in the last hour. .
As Klopp’s side advanced into the second half, Fields of Anfield Road could be heard as the wandering Kop could be heard above the shock.
“A fantastic club instead of a lovely club,” said Paul Rood, Kop’s season ticket holder, after returning to the city from the stadium. “His enthusiasts were very friendly. We ate and drank with them, sang songs and exchanged phone numbers for their layover. at Anfield in November.
“For them it’s like Christmas to have Liverpool in the city. We had to Google where LASK was after the draw, but I’m glad we got this far.
“This season will be a success in Europe. “
(Top photo: John Powell/Liverpool FC Getty Images)