Liverpool vs Porto: 17 years on from Gerard Houllier’s infamous claim, Reds have another chance at ‘greatness’

Houllier’s claim that Liverpool were 10 games away from greatness in 2002 fell flat on its face, but with Jurgen Klopp doing his best to avoid a similar fate, his side find themselves ‘taking it a game at a time’

It was at this point in the season, 17 years ago, that Gerard Houllier uttered the words which would mark the beginning of his end. “Hopefully we are 10 games from greatness,” he told journalists in the spring of 2002. “We're still in contention to win the title and the Champions League. The vision is to win both.”

Liverpool would win neither. Houllier’s side negotiated the first of those 10 games, beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the home first leg of Champions League quarter-final, but they lost the second. The blame for a 4-2 defeat in Leverkusen was laid at Houllier’s door, particularly for his substitution of Dietmar Hamann for Vladimir Smicer while ahead on aggregate.

The fact that Liverpool won four of their remaining five Premier League games is largely forgotten, so too is their record of 40 points from a possible 45 at the tail end of that campaign. Houllier’s words endure, though. From thereon, his reign never recovered. He would last another two years at Anfield, never nearing ‘greatness’ again.

It is a reminder to those of us on the outside of football looking in that there is reason why managers and players talk of ‘taking it a game at a time’. That line is parrotted so often because it is true. Look too far ahead and you risk tripping over your own feet. Why reach for the soundbite when a standard cliché will do?

Well, prior to last night’s first leg against Porto, Liverpool found themselves on the same precipice Houllier did in 2002. Five games remained in their Champions League campaign, if it is to be successful. Five remain domestically whatever happens, whether Manchester City win all their remaining games or not.

And yet, while Pep Guardiola has been answering questions on the quadruple since midwinter, Jurgen Klopp is largely being forced to pick between lifting a first domestic league title in 29 years or a sixth European Cup. Rarely, if ever, is it posited that this Liverpool side could win both.

There are very good reasons for this. Despite a challenging run-in, City remain favourites to win the Premier League, one point behind Liverpool with a game-in-hand to play. It may be that the pace Guardiola’s reigning champions have set does not relent and, as with Arsenal in 2002, a good-but-good-enough Liverpool side fails to keep up.

And even after their first-leg defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday night, City are still well-fancied among bookmakers to win the Champions League outright. That is not to mention the challenge of Juventus or potential semi-final opponents Barcelona, who would be favourites for any prospective tie.

But the fact remains that for only the second time in 17 years, Liverpool are in April with an opportunity to do what only four English teams - the Liverpools of 1977 and 1984, the Manchester Uniteds of 1999 and 2008 - have previously done. They could yet claim the two greatest honours on offer in a single season.

Liverpool fans will not need reminding what happened after Gerard Houllier’s ‘greatness’ claim in 2002 (Getty)

If this very good team is to suddenly be elevated to a great one over the coming weeks, they will need more victories of sustained and concentrated dominance like the one witnessed on Tuesday night. It was a remarkably comfortable win in a Champions League quarter-final, one which makes anything less than qualification for the last four next week unacceptable.

Porto only threatened in moments and even then, only once their opponents had eased off, with minds shifting towards Sunday. Compare Anfield’s Champions League nights of last year with those this term and there is no doubt of where priorities lie. This club still enjoys a love affair with the European Cup but the next domestic title has become its obsession.

The temptation to pick, choose and allocate resources accordingly could therefore be another obstacle to a potential Premier League and Champions League double. Deep down, it may not even be considered as a particularly realistic goal inside Anfield and Melwood, for all the substantial reasons outlined above.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool remain on the ‘Road to Madrid’ after beating Porto 2-0 (Getty)

At the same time, Klopp will not be oblivious to the potential of Liverpool’s next few weeks. He is unlikely to be candid enough to acknowledge it publicly or bullish enough to look beyond more immediate concerns. But like Houllier before him, he will know by now that the prospect is there and he will hope to go nine games better.