May 26th, 2018 ... Heartbreak.
June 1st, 2019 ... Elation.
Can you think of anything with the same capacity to cause such contrasting emotions as football?
I'm struggling to.
What else inspires such loyalty? Such adulation? Such passion?
Any true football fan has experienced both the joys and despairs of the beautiful game.
Those joys are cherished.
Beating a rival in the very last minute.
Achieving a seemingly insurmountable comeback.
Winning a trophy.
We appreciate them because we know how rare they might be.
And we remember the agony of the despairs.
But sunny days wouldn't be special if it wasn't for rain.
Joy wouldn't feel so good if it wasn't for pain.
That's why we do it.
Why we put ourselves through the stress, the suffering, the sorrow.
For those elusive yet euphoric moments of elation.
Sex is great, but watching your side win the Champions League ... that's something else.
This brings me onto those two dates at the start.
How to explain their colossal significance in just a few words?
I'll give it a go, and keep it simple.
Liverpool Football Club are a huge part of my life.
Ever since I was old enough to walk (and, more importantly, kick a ball), playing football and watching Liverpool are two of the things I've perhaps done the most in my waking hours.
Once I understood the game, I fell in love with it.
Liverpool shirts were all I wanted for presents.
Posters, scarves and memorabilia dominated my room, and still do today.
Me and my dad watch every game on TV.
Once I was deemed old enough (after years of begging), we went to Anfield - our Mecca - to watch my first game.
When I came up the stairs and saw the pitch for the first time, I nearly cried.
It just looked like heaven.
The pristine green grass.
The dazzling floodlights.
And, above all, The Kop, where we taught the rest how to sing.
It's the very heart of our club, a great multitude of fans decked in red willing the Redmen on with an unrivalled mixture of banners, scarves and chants.
Anfield's atmosphere has been labelled the best in the world.
The players, feeding of the sheer emotion, passion and belief, have achieved some of the best comebacks and victories ever seen.
Most teams have songs; we have an anthem.
Sung before every game.
The first time I heard it in the flesh I was overcome with goosebumps.
I still get them now.
Its words, I believe, are so important to life, to ensuring that people always have someone to turn to in times of suffering.
You'll Never Walk Alone.
May 26th 2018
The day of the Champions League Final.
Liverpool vs Real Madrid.
Now, I told you I watch every game, right?
Whether it be Barcelona or Barnet.
So when finals come around, I try to cherish them (as much as I can amid all the tension).
This is the reward for all our dedication and support finally paying off, and you never know how long it might be until the next one.
Driven by the goal-scoring heroics of Mohamed Salah, The Reds triumphed on some monumental nights to reach the final in Kiev, with the hope of winning the club's sixth Champions League trophy.
It was not to be.
A promising start was broken by the dubious injury to Mo Salah at the hands of notorious Real Madrid captain, Sergio Ramos.
Madrid went on to win 3-1, claiming their third Champions League trophy in as any years.
I barely spoke to anyone for days after.
We Liverpool fans were left devastated.
June 1st 2019
We're believers at Liverpool.
Events like The Miracle of Istanbul (our fifth Champions League victory) and the Hillsborough Tragedy (in which ninety-six of our fans were horribly crushed to death) mean that we have to be.
But few really believed we'd return to the final again.
The stalwart defending of Virgil Van Dijk, motivating captaincy of Jordan Henderson and continued clinical finishing of 'one-season wonder' Mo Salah saw otherwise.
From local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold to unlikely goal-scoring hero Divock Origi, I could shoutout every single member of this current Liverpool team.
It is undoubtedly the best I've seen in my lifetime.
Perhaps even as good as the dominant sides of the 70s and 80s my dad grew up with.
The desperation to win the European Cup was magnified by the fact that, despite winning 97 points in the league (the highest ever total for a runner-up), we had just missed out on winning the Premier League by one point.
One single point.
The magnificent command of our beloved, passionate, inspiring manager Jurgen Klopp - as well as his unbridled enthusiasm and unbelievable intensity - made such greatness possible.
Let me explain.
He turned us fans from doubters to believers.
May 7th epitomised this.
Champions League Semi-Final, Second Leg.
Barcelona had beaten Liverpool 3-0 in the first leg.
They had Messi, Suarez, Pique ... we had no Salah or Firmino, with both injured.
But another immense Anfield showdown saw the mighty Barcelona, led by the world's greatest Lionel Messi, left gasping and stunned as the Reds battered them 4-0.
Mo Salah, who had been unable to play, ran onto the pitch at the end sporting a t-shirt with the words 'Never Give Up'.
The players and coaches joined arms and sang 'You'll Never Walk Alone' with the Kop.
Sometimes words aren't enough.
Fast forward three weeks and the Reds were now back again for another final.
June 1st 2019.
Ironically, this time it was in Madrid, but our opponents, Tottenham Hotspur, were English.
This time there was no tragedy.
Within two minutes, Liverpool were already 1-0 up.
The goalscorer?
Mohamed Salah. Injured by Ramos in the final the previous year.
We went on to win 2-0.
To become the Champions of Europe for the sixth time.
As my dad said, "sometimes football is more than just a game".
Try tell that to our captain, Jordan Henderson, whose own father has been battling with throat cancer for six years.
Brian Henderson had kept the news from his son in the fear that it might distract him from his football career.
At the final whistle, Henderson walked straight over to his father and pulled him into a loving embrace.
He then broke down with tears.
Our captain later dedicated the victory of football's greatest prize to his father's struggle.
I wanted to tell you this, regardless of whether or not you love Liverpool, or even football, as a reminder to Never Give Up.
To believe that miracles are possible.
To keep working for your dreams, no matter the odds, and do it with belief.
So remember that You'll Never Walk Alone.
Until the next time...
Alex (N.Y.A.)
Something Extra
I hope this post inflated you with inspiration.
Like a balloon.
But I also want to avoid it getting popped.
You also know how much I like to give you practical, productive and precise steps to take to improve yourselves.
Football, as well as being (in my unbiased opinion) the world's greatest sport, is also a superb way to stay fit.
With its sprinting, turning and endurance, the high intensity nature of the game is excellent for your fitness, so I thought I'd share a few good drills you can do on a football pitch or any empty grass:
1) Acceleration
Lay out five cones (or any alternative) around 10 steps or more apart.
Follow the image below...
2) Agility & Acceleration
A variation of the first.
Use the same five cones around 10 steps or more apart.
Use the assigned leg to drive your body and change direction:
3) Agility, Acceleration & Endurance
Ideally suited for a football pitch (penalty area).
Alternatively can be easily made with four cones.
Sprint the mapped path.
Walk the dotted line before starting the next repetition:
4) Acceleration & Endurance
Again ideally needs a marked football pitch.
Run the mapped path at around 70-80% of your full speed.
Walk the dotted line before starting the next repetition:
There you have it.
Implement some of these high intensity football-based drills if you get the chance.
Go hard and you'll soon be sweating buckets.
You're welcome.