Dirk Kuyt has claimed that the Anfield crowd can make all the difference for Liverpool against Ajax on Tuesday night.
The Reds take on the Dutch Champions aiming to bounce back from their humiliation against Napoli on Matchday 1. And speaking to De Telegraaf via Sport Nieuws, former red Kuyt has claimed that the atmosphere at Anfield will be key for Liverpool.
“If the club [Liverpool] is in a bad way, like this period, the crowd often adds two or three more spades to the mix and creates an atmosphere of invincibility,” said the 42-year-old.
“I would be very surprised if Ajax can play under that intense pressure against Liverpool. Only in the half-time, they (Ajax) can do something right. At Anfield, I have seen even the biggest teams with the most experienced top players lose the plot because of the interaction between the crowd and the team.”
Kuyt is currently managing Dutch second division side ADO Den Haag. After a tricky start to life in his first managerial job, he shared some words of wisdom for he and Jurgen Klopp to reflect on.
“If Jurgen and I stick to our vision, the change will come. Our vision is the most important thing to hold on to, I’ve learned from all the top trainers I’ve spoken to. In the summer Ten Hag told me this at the airport in Ibiza, where we met during the holiday,” said the former Holland international.
Liverpool counting on fans to lift them
Today’s scheduled game against Wolves was unfortunately called off. As a result, the Anfield crowd should be raring to go for Tuesday.
The team are currently in dire need of a lift. When things aren’t going well, it can be a signal for supporters to turn on their team. But that rarely happens at Liverpool, especially not under Jurgen Klopp.
Reds fans are fully aware that the German is the right man to turn this poor form around. Aside from one or two little holes in the squad, this is the right group of players, too. As a result, the fans will get behind the team as much as they can.
Ajax are used to playing in a fervent atmosphere of course, in their own stadium no less. But Anfield can sometimes be a different matter entirely.
Just as Kuyt points out, the very best players around have often failed to cope in the heat of the old stadium.
Ajax are a good side who will trouble Liverpool for periods of the game. They too claimed a big victory on Matchday 1 and will be aiming to take control of the group.
But for all their quality, they are also a young-looking team. If Liverpool can grab an early goal and ride the noise generated from the stands, they could spook some of the more inexperienced Ajax players.
The Reds need to be positive after some energy-sapping recent displays. They’ll get the support from the crowd. The rest is up to them.
