Reds (almost) back among the big boys

"Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
– William Shakespeare
THE bard wasn't talking about football but his words have a relevance to yesterday's big game. Manchester City thought they were achieving greatness: Liverpool could be about to have it thrust upon them.
It is hard to say which of the two managers was more shocked by another memorable European night at Anfield: Pep Guardiola that his team did not turn up or Jurgen Klopp that his could be on the cusp of something extraordinary.
At least Guardiola now knows: his all-conquering City are not that great. Great sides do not wilt at the first roar of the crowd, they manage at least a shot on target when chasing a game and when a window of their bus is broken, the wheels don't come off.
Yes, we are talking buses again but City wisely downplayed the effect of an attack on theirs by an unruly fringe of home supporters.
However, just what caused a collective meltdown for their biggest game of the season is a far more serious matter.
Since August, we've been singing Guardiola's praises for improving players and not just buying ready-made ones. He's even improved the expensive ones that he's bought.
He's run away with the league, won the League Cup and had City hailed as the best team in Europe. On yesterday's evidence, though, he's been unable to provide them with "cojones".
His decision to play Ilkay Gundogan instead of Raheem Sterling robbed City of their usual width as well as one of their most in-form players.
We know what happened to Sterling on his last visit to Anfield, but when a player needs protecting, it sends out the wrong signal. Steve Waugh, the hardnosed former Australian cricket captain, never countenanced using a nightwatchman to protect a star batsman in the final overs of the day.
His great team always said that it was worth losing the occasional valuable wicket for the fearless message it sent out.
Protecting Sterling sent out precisely the opposite message as did opting to avoid defending the Kop end in the second half.
The whole team seemed to freeze which made a mockery of this column's combined XI being 8-3 in favour of City players. Last night it was 11-0 the other way.
If Guardiola has to think again, so does Klopp: his squad may be deeper than he thought; closer to maturity than he dared hope at this stage while his buying policy of mixing big signings with bargains was fully vindicated.
His full-backs cost just £8 million to City's £110m pair but Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson totally outshone Kyle Walker and Aymeric Laporte.
With £75m Virgil van Dijk alongside, Dejan Lovren no longer looks an accident waiting to happen while Loris Karius also seems much more assured now he's a regular starter.
Alexander-Arnold went from being bullied by Manchester United less than a month ago to perhaps even making England's World Cup squad.
It's a sign that Klopp's boys are growing up fast and that with just a couple of the right additions in the summer, Liverpool may be ready to challenge on all fronts.
Fenway Sports Group will certainly have noted all this progress while the unremitting passion of the fans not only reaffirms that the owners' decision to stay at Anfield was correct but will surely clinch its further expansion.
The tie is not quite over but you feel it would take something Neymaresque to turn it around. Had City nicked a late goal, a 2-0 win next week would have been all that was needed – well within the capability of the side we've watched all season.
But Guardiola now has to deal with a side that is psychologically devastated and has to face United next.
With Jose Mourinho not averse to taking advantage of a wounded foe, Guardiola will have to ensure that heads are lifted.
They cannot lose the league title but with Spurs to follow next week's return leg, there is a danger of a glorious season ending with a whimper. On the other hand, if they take out their disappointment on United, they may sniff the impossible with an early goal on Tuesday.
This will be as big a test of Guardiola's coaching mettle as he's had and it will be fascinating to see how he copes.
With just five wins in 23 career away legs in the Champions League (including with Barcelona and Bayern) perhaps there is a flaw in the great man's coaching after all.
We were told his City were the team of the future whereas Liverpool's glory days were all about the past. Not on this evidence.
Whilst three wins at Anfield in 62 years was a hex that surpasses Spurs' record at Stamford Bridge, City are not rookies in this competition – this is their seventh successive campaign.
In contrast, the Reds have missed a few lately but play like to the manor born once they're in Europe.
Indeed, they would have had a far better domestic season but for a few late errors – and if Van Dijk had arrived at the start. Some people laughed at them then, but it is Klopp & Co who are having the last laugh.
Barring a catastrophe of PSG proportions, they'll be in the semifinals and no one will want to face them. Not at Anfield and not in Kiev where Liverpool fans are sure to go in vast numbers.
The dream is definitely on – with Bayern, Real and Barcelona also carrying decisive leads into the return legs, Liverpool are back among the Big Boys. Almost.
CR7 is still the Real deal
ONE player who must have been born great reminded us he is far from finished this week. Cristiano Ronaldo has done a lot of work in the gym and is a tireless trainer, but against Juventus he decided to declare his natural genius.
His bicycle kick was one of the great goals of all time and to think we were writing him off at the start of the season … We also once questioned whether he did it on the big occasion!
In the second half of this season's campaign, he has resumed his career rate of scoring at more than a goal a game and to do it at Juve against Gianni Buffon only added extra lustre.
It also reminded us that Real Madrid, whatever they do in La Liga, are the team for this competition.
Liverpool fans loved to mock Ronaldo at United but, thinking ahead to the semifinal draw, they wouldn't mind seeing him one more time at Anfield.