Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has claimed that the famous Anfield atmosphere could have a decisive impact on this season’s Premier League title race.
We’ve seen over the years, particularly on big European nights, how the fervent nature of the Merseyside crowd’s support can spur the hosts on to victory, and Carragher believes that that could occur down the stretch this campaign.
“Ask rival managers and players how they feel about going to Anfield when it is at its most vociferous, which it certainly should be over the remaining nine Premier League fixtures at home,” he wrote in his Telegraph column. “Since Liverpool went top there has been a different mood on Merseyside and the team is playing even better. It will be enjoyed and embraced. It should be.
“When I look over my career and recall those home games where the atmosphere was at its peak – which tended to be in Europe – I struggle to recall when we lost, or failed to perform to our maximum. That powerful yearning for victory manifested itself in walls of noise.
It drove me on as part of those teams in 2002 and 2009 [previous title challenges], when our biggest problem was the brilliance of those we were trying to catch. It did so in 2014. It can help Liverpool go one better in 2019.”
OPINION
Carragher could have a point, here. Liverpool undoubtedly have the biggest advantage of any Premier League team in terms of the edge that their home support gives them. There are other grounds with devoted fans who provide a huge amount of support to their team, but none that inspires the players as clearly as Anfield. The Etihad Stadium certainly doesn’t provide the same wall of noise that is evident on the red side of Merseyside. Whether that will be enough to propel Liverpool to a first title triumph in 28 years is, of course, unknown at this time, but it’s certainly a point in their favour. Unfortunately Jurgen Klopp’s side will not have home side status against the champions when they meet on Thursday night, but they will still be confident of getting a positive result. Only time will tell whether or not Carragher has exaggerated the importance of Anfield as it relates to this season, but what he says here certainly makes sense.
