Arne Slot has sent a pointed message to those Liverpool fans who’ll be in attendance at Wednesday night’s Champions League clash against Bologna.
The Dutchman’s ninth competitive game in charge of the Reds brings with it his first taste of a European night at Anfield, an experience which has carried a massive aura through previous generations right up to the present day.
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Speaking in his pre-match press conference this afternoon, the 46-year-old voiced his burning desire to ‘feel’ a genuine sense of occasion as LFC’s iconic home prepares for its first Champions League fixture since February 2023.
Slot said (via Liverpool Echo): “People tell me it’s more special here. I want to see this, I want to feel this. The players missed this for a season; I’m hoping it’s the same from the fans, this desire to show Europe that they missed us. That combination should lead to a special night for everyone.”
European nights at Anfield carry a mystique which is often unparalled throughout the continent and has become the stuff of legend, and Slot is clearly determined to feel that special atmosphere when he emerges from the tunnel before kick-off tomorrow night.
His message to the fans comes at a juncture when the stadium’s reputation as a febrile, intimidating hotbed has been called into question, so much so that Jamie Carragher didn’t challenge the assertion of one Nottingham Forest supporter that the venue’s aura is a ‘myth’.
The atmosphere at recent home games has been a topic for much discussion among Kopites on social media, but hopefully the return of Champions League football to L4 on Wednesday will literally bring the noise, even if Bologna mightn’t represent as illustrious an opponent as a Real Madrid or Barcelona, for example.
Slot will have a minimum of four European games at Anfield this season – hopefully a lot more than that if Liverpool can go deep into the competition – and he’s right to ask the supporters to make every one of those feel like a special occasion.
To anyone lucky enough to be heading along to the game tomorrow night…you know what to do!
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