THE road to redemption is a rocky path, but not even Liverpool could have imagined it would be this long.
It was typical that in a season of turmoil and upheaval both on and off the field Rafael Benitez’s side should face such a circuitous trek to tonight’s Europa League semi-final at Atletico Madrid.
Those pesky volcanoes. But Javier Mascherano hopes every ash cloud has a silver lining as he aims to fill a significant hole in his Anfield curriculum vitae.
“I wouldn’t do a 24-hour journey to be here if I didn’t want to win,” says the Argentine. “For me and my team-mates, this game is very important.
“As a player, always I want to win. At the end of my career I want to look at how many trophies I’ve won. This is a chance. We are in a semi-final. It’s one more step and we’re in a final. We need to give 100% to get to the final in Hamburg on May 12.”
Mascherano, who is vying with Pepe Reina for the tag of Liverpool’s player of the season, has yet to get his hands on silverware since arriving from West Ham United more than three years ago.
“It is the main thing, winning a trophy,” he says. “This is the biggest game of the season for us. We are coming here to give our best.
“After a long trip we are together and thinking only of the game, and if we approach it the right way then we can get a good result.”
Mascherano knows all about disappointment in Europe, having been on the losing side in the 2007 Champions League final against AC Milan in Athens and then beaten in the semi-finals by Chelsea 12 months later.
But the tenacious refuses to dwell on those failures and has only sights on a triumph at the Vicente Calderon this evening.
“I don’t try to think in the past,” says Mascherano. “For me, the present is the best and that’s what I try to think about. My future is tomorrow and I am not thinking beyond that. We have one of two finals against Atletico tomorrow, and we’re aiming for the big one on May 12.
“My future is tomorrow and I am not thinking beyond that. We want it to be a good day for Liverpool supporters and for ourselves.
“When you lose a game it’s never a good experience. I try to think positive things when we lose. We got to the final in 2007 and although we didn’t win, we were there in the first place and that was important.
“If you lose a final it’s disappointing, but it’s because you have got there in the first place and had the chance. But we cannot think too much about three years ago, we have to think of tomorrow because it’s totally different. We can’t think of anything but winning.”
Of the current squad only Reina, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have won honours while at the club.
But Benitez does not believe that will prove an issue, and says: “Lucas has won the league in Brazil, Mascherano has won a lot of trophies and the staff have won things too. It’s important to have this kind of experience.
“We have enough of it to share with the others – we have been in finals and had experience ourselves. We’ll be okay.”
Of course, competing for a place in the Europa League final was the last thing on Liverpool’s agenda when the first ball of the campaign was kicked at White Hart Lane back in August.
And Benitez suggests even glory in Hamburg next month would not atone for a season of underachievement.
“It’s important to have an opportunity to win silverware,” says the Anfield manager. “But if I’m asked if we were expecting to be in this position, I’d say no.
“We were expecting to do better in the Premier League and Champions League, as well as the FA Cup and Carling Cup. But we can’t change that situation now and this is an opportunity to win something. We will try to do our best.”
