Bologna manager addresses Anfield atmosphere post-match after recent Jamie Carragher claim | OneFootball

Bologna manager addresses Anfield atmosphere post-match after recent Jamie Carragher claim | OneFootball

In partnership with

Yahoo sports
Icon: Empire of the Kop

Empire of the Kop

·3 October 2024

Bologna manager addresses Anfield atmosphere post-match after recent Jamie Carragher claim

Article image:Bologna manager addresses Anfield atmosphere post-match after recent Jamie Carragher claim

The atmosphere at Anfield has been a talking point among many Liverpool fans in recent weeks, and Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano also commented on it after his team faced the Reds in L4 on Wednesday night.

Jamie Carragher admitted that the stadium hasn’t exactly been bouncing on matchdays of late, although he did tack on the asterisk that its best occasions tend to be reserved for European fixtures.


OneFootball Videos


The visiting boss last night appeared to back up that latter assessment, for he was highly complimentary of the noise emanating from the stands.

VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards OR on X with the FCA’s one-click X link with: I am voting for @empireofthekop in @The_FCAs for #BestClubContentCreator (Premier League)

Italiano said in his post-match press conference (via Liverpool Echo): “Playing in a stadium like this makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

“The opposition players, playing at home, are lifted up by this support around the stadium. I think in the first few minutes we found this difficult to come to terms with.”

The atmosphere at Anfield last night was certainly an improvement on recent games – a first Champions League match in L4 for nearly 20 months would’ve helped – although we’d still expect it to be cranked up a few levels when the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City visit under the lights in the next few weeks.

A fast start by Liverpool was also a contributory factor; whereas we were slow out of the blocks against West Ham and Wolves last week, we tore into Bologna from the outset and settled any early nerves with an 11th-minute goal from Alexis Mac Allister.

The visitors grew into the game after going behind in the ooening few minutes and were perhaps unlucky not to be level at half-time as the home side inexplicably fell into a slumber which saw them repeatedly cough up possession in their defensive third of the pitch.

The Reds regained control after the interval and Mo Salah’s goal allowed us to see out the win comfortably, so thankfully there was no late tension among the home support.

The next Anfield fixture for Arne Slot’s side sees them welcome Chelsea on 20 October. Given the history between the two clubs and the twilight kick-off, that should be a boisterous occasion on Merseyside, much more so than the three home games we’ve had in the Premier League so far this term.

View publisher imprint