There was panic on the streets of Dublin last week when Liverpool moved a step closer to the Europa League final in the Irish capital, with local authorities and UEFA sweating over the seismic number of Reds that would travel to the event.
Liverpool will play Atalanta in the quarter-final of the competition and then one of Benfica or Marseille in the last four – and are currently strong favourites with the bookmakers to advance to the final on May 22.
The final will be held at the 51,711-seater Aviva Stadium but it is expected Liverpool and their opponents – one of Leverkusen, West Ham, AC Milan or Roma – would only be handed around 13,000 tickets due to around half the stadium being filled by corporate punters.
One contingency plan appears to be opening gaelic games stadium Croke Park, which seats around 82,300 people, as a fan zone to prevent supporters clogging up the streets and potentially clashing, which happened with West Ham and Fiorentina fans in Prague last year.
Liverpool are the bookies’ favourites to make the Europa League final on May 22
The final will be held at the 51,711-seater Aviva Stadium (pictured) though Croke Park could be used as a fan zone to prevent supporters clogging up the streets and potentially clashing
There are concerns over the seismic number of Reds that could be in Dublin for the final
Croke Park has a rich culture that it should only be used for GAA and no other sports – though several rugby and football internationals took place there during renovations at the Aviva Stadium – so even hosting a fan event there would be a controversial move for locals.
Even that zone might not be enough to host the number of fans that could turn up. Hotels are also extremely limited – or heavily overpriced – and there is a fear among local police that the city will be stretched to breaking point.
On a brief look on hotel booking websites, fans would do well to find a bog-standard night’s sleep without breaking the bank. On Booking.com, for example, the average price for May 22 is around £650 for a three-star hotel while AirBNB hosts are charging, in some cases, four figures.
UEFA themselves have been heavily criticised for poor organisation around their high-profile matches in recent years, including last two Champions League finals that saw Liverpool and Manchester City fans venting fury at the poor planning.
The final will be Jurgen Klopp’s last Liverpool game if they do advance to the final in Dublin
Liverpool fans in Paris for their 2022 clash with Real Madrid were tear-gassed and blamed for overcrowding that was later proven to be down to an e-ticketing and security failure, with a review finding UEFA must bear primary responsibility for failures which almost led to a disaster.’
City supporters were left stranded outside the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul last June after shuttle buses back to the city centre – around 20 miles – were canned. Some City fans also complained of not being allowed off buses to urinate during up to four-hour drives due to horrendous traffic.
The Europa League final, if Liverpool got there, would be Jurgen Klopp’s last game as Liverpool boss, which would only add to the demand for fans to be in Dublin to be close to the action. The Reds would, of course, explore possibilities for fan events back in Merseyside.
HUGHES’ FIRST TASKS
One of the first tasks on the to-do list of incoming sporting director Richard Hughes will be to open and resolve contract talks with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, who all have expiring deals at the end of next season.
But he also has decisions to make on both Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip, whose contracts at Liverpool run out this summer. Matip has not played since rupturing his ACL in November, while Thiago has played less than 15 minutes of action since a hip injury coming up to a year ago.
It will be a huge surprise if Thiago, 32, remains at the club beyond this season, with it almost certain that he moves on. The Spaniard is adored by many at Liverpool but his time in England has been marred by injury.
Signing Virgil van Dijk (left), Mohamed Salah (right) and Trent Alexander-Arnold to new deals will be the first task on incoming sporting director Richard Hughes’ to-do list
Hughes will also have decisions on the futures of Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara
As for Matip, Jurgen Klopp said not long after his knee surgery that Liverpool would ‘show their class’ and hinted that he would get an extended deal, but there is increasing noise that the former Cameroon international might have played his last game for the club.
No final decision has been made on Matip’s future yet but the defender will turn 33 in the summer, when Liverpool have long been expected to target a new signing in central defence. The emergence of Jarell Quansah has also done Matip’s hopes of a new deal no favours.
Matip, who like several other Liverpool stars lives in the swanky village of Woolton, would depart Anfield as a cult hero after playing an integral role in the team’s successes since his arrival in 2016. Matip has been doing gym work at Kirkby after successful surgery.
Another player with a deal expiring this summer is third-choice keeper Adrian. He is a vocal member in the dressing room and seems to enjoy his role. The Spaniard, 37, is often seen laughing and joking on the substitutes’ bench at Anfield.
DISAPPOINTING WEEKEND FOR LOANEES
Last week Confidential had a peak at the ever-improving fortunes of loanees Fabio Carvalho and Luke Chambers, but a couple of the Liverpool players away on temporary stints had disappointing weekends.
Nat Phillips has been a decent signing at Cardiff overall and fans seem to be enjoying his performances, though he was partially at fault for Liam Cullen’s goal in the Welsh derby against bitter rivals Swansea on Saturday.
Calvin Ramsay, meanwhile, has not been seen for over a month at Bolton since a January loan move to the League One club. The Aberdeen-born full back has had a troubling time with injury over the last 18 months.
Brazilian keeper Marcelo Pitaluga is also struggling at St Patrick’s Athletic. He was recently dropped and manager Jon Daly said: ‘You’ve to understand you play on merit, and if you’re not performing or not playing well, you don’t play regardless of where you’ve come from.’
Calvin Ramsey (pictured at Preston in December) is yet to feature for Bolton since joining the League One side on loan in January
GOOD OMEN
Fact of the week and a good omen from Liverpool’s statistician Ged Rea. The last time Liverpool lost 4-3 in the FA Cup – 1990 against Crystal Palace – they ended the season as league champions.
Kirkby Kids
Manchester City have often had the upper hand over Liverpool’s kids in recent years but the Reds got a rare win at the weekend, with goals from Rhys Williams and Trent Kone-Doherty helping them to a 2-0 victory.
It was good to see Williams get some regular minutes after a frustrating loan spell at Aberdeen ended prematurely in January, then a brief stint at Port Vale was curtailed due to injury. The defender is now 23 and would hope to kickstart his career again after a frustrating few years.
In other proud academy news, Jayden Danns has penned a long-term deal with the club after impressing for the first team in the last month. If anything, it was a surprise to see him remain on the bench when Liverpool needed a goal in extra-time yesterday.
Rhys Williams scored in a 2-0 victory for Liverpool’s kids against Manchester City
Women’s Watch
Luck of the Irish on St Patrick’s Day for Liverpool Women star Leanne Kiernan, who scored her first goal in 694 days on Sunday as the Reds beat West Ham 3-1 to keep up their impressive league form.
Bailieborough-born striker Kiernan has been plagued by injuries in the last two years but boss Matt Beard described her goal as ‘the best thing that’s come out of today’. He added: ‘Setback after setback, this is actually the best Leanne Kiernan I’ve ever seen on a football pitch.
Leanne Kiernan scored her first goal in 694 in a 3-1 victory for the Reds against West Ham
‘A lot of that is from watching different players. If I look at her game understanding now, it’s the best it’s ever been. I love the girl to pieces. I remember when I met her as an 18-year-old when I was at West Ham. Look at the player and person she has developed into, it’s so pleasing.’
Meanwhile, Liverpool Women analyst Jordan Kevan will run the London Marathon next month for a diabetes charity. You can donate to his fundraiser page here
Also Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celebrity News
