Liverpool v Toulouse
Anfield, Thursday October 26th, 8.00pm
Europa League, Group stage, Match Day 3
Referees etc….. Nothing yet.
UEFA Cup 1973.
Eintracht Frankfurt, AEK Athens, Dynamo Berlin, Dynamo Dresden, Spurs and Borussia Mönchen Gladbach.
UEFA Cup 1976.
Hibernian, Real Sociedad, Slask Wroclaw, Dynamo Dresden again, Barcelona and Club Brugge.
The early ’70’s. No live tv. Just radio and imagination. The finals were 2 legged, home and away affairs.
1973. The final. Borussia Mönchen Gladbach, first leg, 3-0 at home. Clemence saves a penalty. Away leg lost 2-0, hung on by our fingernails. Gunther Netzer, class. Berti Vogts pure mule. The start of a kind of cult relationship between the supporters of the 2 clubs. Shankly marking Europe. Our first European trophy.
1976. The final, Club Brugge, first leg, 2 down at home into the second half. Then Case and Keegan (2) into a full standing Kop, Steve Heighway on the wing, 3 goals in 5 glorious, frantic, unbelievable minutes (we patented it for future use). My radio blew up with the excitement. Second leg 1-1, again hung on by our fingernails. Brugge were class we were victorious. Our second European trophy.
We went on to meet them again in the 1978 Big Cup final. Kenny.
It was a huge competition in it’s day. Generally only the second placed league teams the season before qualified to play in it. They were often the best teams by the next season. It was gold standard European football.
And I guess it was times of hope, possibility, mystery, black and white tele. It was Liverpool on the rise, surging from the muck and mist. The making of the myth...
2023.
Our next European Europa League Group stage fixture is against one of, if not the greatest, most storied of French teams. Les Rouges et Noir, the aristocrats, the record 5 times European and 22 time national champions who provide not only arguably the greatest player in the world today but the backbone, the skill, steel and sleekness of the French national team, Toulouse.
Well it would be if we played rugby.
Instead it’s their rather poorer, football playing, same city neighbours, also named Toulouse.
Toulouse FC.
Historically they have 2 French cups and 4 division 2 titles in a combined history of 85 years. They were Wimbletoned back in 1967 and reformed under a slightly altered name in 1970. On 21 July 2020, RedBird Capital Partners (also investors in FSG ) acquired an 85% stake in Toulouse FC. The club achieved promotion back to Ligue 1 by winning the second tier in 2022. On 29 April 2023, Toulouse won its second ever French Cup title dispatching Nantes 5-1. They seem to be on the up as a club.
This season they are plodding along, mid table in Ligue 1. Played 9, won 2 lost 2. Neither a scorer nor a conceder be they. 9 games in with 10 scored, 9 conceded, at the time of writing this. Their stadium is a pleasant, modern (rebuilt in 2016) 31,000 seater.
They have actually played Liverpool in the Europa League group phase back in 2007. Liverpool won 1-0 and 4-0.
Another connection with LFC is club president Damien Comolli who was our original "Michael Edwards”, (early FSG - Kenny Dalglish era). Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and the ponytail from Newcastle always stick in my mind as relative failures but he also brought in Luis Suarez, Craig Bellamy, Jordan Henderson, Seb Coates and José Enrique who all had good times at Liverpool and (mostly) long successful careers themselves. So, on the balance I think he did well.
To that end I took a look at the ins and outs of Toulouse last summer. Comolli brought in 13 players and 15 left. They brought in zero in upfront fees and spent 11 million. A bit of difference in scale to England. Toulouse have a squad made up of about a dozen nationalities including Spanish, French, Danes, Swedes, Fins, Swiss, Moroccans, Central Americans and assorted Africans. It amounts to a new squad and team in reality. Unfortunately I don't recognise a single player in the squad list so I have nothing to add on that. I also have no idea of the style of football they employ but in the Europa League group games so far they have done quite well. They drew away with USG and beat LASK 1-0 in the last round. They will fancy qualifying themselves and have something to gain from a result of any kind.
French football, for me, is a first cousin of traditional English football. Athletic, hard, fast and tough and I expect Toulouse will give it a decent go at Anfield and a real blast, in front of their own support, the following game. I wouldn’t take them lightly as these 2 games are glamour ties for Toulouse, I’m sure Jurgan won’t. Given that, I imagine we’ll follow our big rotation policy as per usual in this competition.
,
The midweek Europa League team has had 6 players starting both games, Konaté, Kostas, Endo, Gravenberch, Harvey and Nunez. Given Robbo’s on-going absence we might be having a bit of a question mark at left fullback.
Liverpool warmed up for this with a comfortable, almost predictable, run out against Everton. With 6 points on board already another win here would practically qualify us. So it’s a win without complications (injuries) please.
