'Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.' Bill ShanklyWe all know this to be untrue, there is one thing far more important and that is family. On Sunday we will remember and honour our fallen family once more. 25 years of pain and anguish have gone by, but the hole they have left behind in the fabric of our great club will never be filled. On Sunday we will all come come together and glory in the thing that binds us all together and that is Liverpool Football Club...and remember the 96
The sleeping giant has finally woken from its sleep and it is ravenous. We have devoured almost all who have stood before us this year and in our ancestral home we will take on the new threat from Manchester. It's been a long time since we were truly in a title race and the roller coaster of emotions has gotten more turbulent with each passing game. Sunday will be no different against a team who like us possess wonderful attacking options. Make no mistake they will come for the win on Sunday but I doubt they will ever have experienced anything like Anfield when it truly believes. The crowd will demand blood and nothing less, and of our players we ask only that they play without fear and with the desire that is so epitomised by Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez. Every tackle will be an event and every pass will be scrutinized...this is it there is no place to hide.
There is no better time to be a Liverpool supporter, we are clawing ever so slowly towards our destiny and what a glorious ride it promises to be.
*edit just for Shauno*
Last season we could barely scrape 3 wins in a row and now we sit on a run of 9. This has been obviously been a team effort but our attacking 6 (including Stevie) have been phenomenal and its no coincidence that our players feature so highly in most recorded stats. Rodgers has developed a system that makes us greater than the sum of our parts and let our superstars shine.
City while blessed with billions have at times looked vulnerable but the individual quality that the possess is wonderful. Toure, Silva, Kompany, Zabaleta and Aguero are matchwinners comparable to our own. Where we have the edge is mentality, desire and Rodgers. Brendan will have a Plan A, B and X if need be to deal with Pellegrino's boys.
In our last 5 Premier League fixtures against City we've drawn 3 and lost 2. The reverse fixture at The Etihad was particularly painful as we were the better team for vast portions of the game. The Sterling goal that never was could have been a deciding factor.
3 Jan 2012- MCFC vs LFC
1-1
27 Nov 2011- LFC vs MUFC
0-3
26 Aug 2012- LFC vs MUFC
2-2
3 Feb 2013- MCFC vs LFC
2-2
26 Dec 2013- MCFC vs LFC
2-1
So will it be Sleeping Giant or the newcomers from up the road?