Liverpool legend Ian Rush has warned that his former side will have increased pressure placed upon them after they ended their trophy drought in the Champions League final last night.
Liverpool got their hands on Ol’ big ears (no, not Gary Lineker) for a sixth time in the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday night with a 2-0 win over Spurs, to round off what has been a hugely impressive campaign.
They finished the recent Premier League campaign with a record 97 points after only losing one game, but were still pipped to the post by the only team to beat them, Man City.
Speaking in the aftermath of the Reds glorious night in Madrid, Liverpool’s 346 goal hero and two time European Cup winner, Ian Rush says the pressure will be on Jurgen Klopp’s men to add to their trophy collection next season.
“From the player and manager’s point of view, it is an absolutely fantastic achievement. They’ve had an incredible year and if they had lost yesterday, it would have been a fantastic season but with no trophies. It’s a good sign that they’ve won a trophy and the players know what they’ve got to do now,” Rush told Sky Sports.
“From the supporter’s point of view, I think it is for the younger generation. The older generation kept saying ‘this is Liverpool, we’ve won trophies’. For me, it was great to see the younger generation to be at a game where Liverpool won a trophy. They believe what the team can do now and I think they can achieve anything at the moment.
“To be fair to Tottenham, they had a go and they changed the formation but I think Alisson, who didn’t have much to do for the first hour or so, was absolutely fantastic in the last 30 minutes. That was probably the difference.
“It’s easy for me to talk about [having legendary status] because I’m not playing anymore! But from the players point of view, there is more pressure but that’s what you want. That’s what Liverpool Football Club is all about – there is pressure on you.
“In the 70s and 80s, these standards were met and until last night, the standards had been really close and they have been met now. The pressure will be on next year but if you play for Liverpool, that’s what you expect. You should thrive on pressure like this and hopefully the players and the manager will do that next year.”
Liverpool 2-0 Spurs – Champions League Final Player Ratings
See also: Five of the most memorable Champions League finals
