For any supporters not hitting middle age, the idea of Liverpool as anything but European royalty is unthinkable. So much of the club’s identity is tied up in Ol’ Big Ears that it becomes hard to imagine any other way for younger fans.

Twenty years of Europe’s premier club competition had passed before Liverpool got their hands on the trophy though. Real Madrid, Benfica, AC and Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Feyenoord, Celtic and even hated rivals Manchester United had all established themselves as European giants before Liverpool.

Liverpool were hardly coming out of nowhere – they had already dominated English football for years and had two UEFA Cups to their name – but they were yet to make that final step to reach the top of European football.

It was during the 1973-74 season, the year Borussia Mönchengladbach manager Udo Lattek won Bayern Munich their first European Cup, that a major change took place at Liverpool. Knocked out in the second round of that competition by Miljan Miljanic’s Red Star Belgrade, Liverpool’s Boot Room decided that they weren’t good enough. “The Europeans showed that building from the back is the only way to play,” said Bill Shankly.

“We realised it was no use winning the ball if you finished up on your backside,” said Bob Paisley. “The top Europeans showed us how to break out of defence effectively. The pace of their movement was dictated by their first pass. We had to learn how to be patient like that and think about the next two or three moves when we had the ball.”

That they even recognised a problem shows an incredible humility: Shankly, Paisley, Joe Fagan, Reuben Bennett, Tom Saunders and Ronnie Moran had built a side that took on all-comers on the home front and clearly wasn’t far off in Europe, having won the UEFA Cup the season before.

That wasn’t good enough though. “My idea was to build Liverpool into a bastion of invincibility,” said Shankly. “Napoleon had that idea. He wanted to conquer the bloody world. I wanted Liverpool to be untouchable. My idea was to build Liverpool up and up until eventually everyone would have to submit and give in.”

It was in defence where the changes were most keenly felt, shifting from the “mountain” Ron Yeats-like stoppers that had previously impressed in their backline to more cultured passing players. Not long after the loss to Red Star, Larry Lloyd tore his hamstring, so midfielder Phil Thompson was moved back to accompany Emlyn Hughes, originally a midfielder, in the centre of defence, leading to greater fluidity. “The main aim is that everyone can control a ball and do the basic things in football,” said Shankly. “At the back you’re looking for someone who can control the ball instantly and give a forward pass. It gives them more space and time to breathe.”

Shankly would retire at the end of that season, but Paisley would continue and even accelerate this change in style. The brutal Tommy Smith, who Shankly famously claimed had been “quarried” rather than born, would be replaced by the calmer, more technical Phil Neal. On the left, Joey Jones was a fan on the pitch, getting by more on heart and determination than sublime skill, but he was an upgrade on Alec Lindsay and he even he would soon be replaced by Alan Kennedy.

With more technical players in defence, they didn’t have to launch it all the time, so the style was more considered for those in front of them too. “At Liverpool we don’t have anyone running into no man’s land,” explained Shankly. “If you get the ball in the Liverpool team, you want choices… you want at least two people to pass to, maybe three, maybe more… You might not be getting very far, but the pattern is changing. Finally, somebody will sneak in.” The solid pairing of Peter Cormack and Brian Hall was upgraded, with Terry McDermott improving on Cormack’s tempo-setting and Jimmy Case offering more dynamism than Hall’s ball-winning role, albeit doing so on the right of midfield as the ageing Ian Callaghan moved into the centre.

As Liverpool lined up for the 1977 European Cup final, only Smith, Callaghan, Ray Clemence, Steve Heighway, Callaghan, Kevin Keegan and Emlyn Hughes remained from the team that had started the UEFA Cup final four years earlier, with Hughes moved back into defence and Smith only getting a look-in due to an injury to Thompson. Only Clemence and Hughes would start the final the following year.

This wasn’t all some scripted coming-of-age for Liverpool though. Gladbach were in a similar position, looking to establish themselves at the top of European football. Just as Shankly had at Liverpool, Hennes Weisweiler had dragged Gladbach up out of the second division to domestic glory. It was against Gladbach in 1973 that Liverpool had won their first UEFA Cup and the German side managed to win their own two years later, along with several Bundesliga titles and the DFB-Pokal.

When Weisweiler left for Barcelona in 1975 after eleven years at the club, Gladbach turned to Udo Lattek – the coach behind rivals Bayern Munich’s success. Lattek’s style was more defensive than Weisweiler’s, but he still won Gladbach back-to-back Bundesligas in his first two years in charge.

Gladbach found it difficult to keep hold of their players though, most notably losing star man Günter Netzer to Real Madrid. As they lined up to face Liverpool only four of the starting eleven – Rainer Bonhof, Berti Vogts, Herbert Wimmer and Jupp Heynckes – remained from the team that had faced Liverpool four years earlier. Perhaps by winning a European Cup, they could establish themselves as a great club players would do anything to play for.

Paisley set up Liverpool in a 4-4-2 formation, whereas Lattek opted for a 4-3-3 shape. Liverpool’s players would press their opponents individually while their teammates dropped back into two banks of four, while Gladbach rarely looked to win the ball back in Liverpool’s half and marked man-to-man – Vogts on Keegan, Hans Klinkhammer on Heighway, Bonhof on Case, Uli Stielike on Callaghan, Frank Schaffer on Ray Kennedy and Horst Wholers on McDermott – with Hans-Jürgen Wittkamp playing as a sweeper.

Gladbach man-mark

Gladbach man-mark

Playing in his last game for the Reds before he left for Hamburg, Liverpool would look to Keegan. Early on, given so much space by Gladbach dropping off, Hughes would go long to the forward, who despite his stature was very good in the air. He would flick the ball on to a teammate or, if Vogts won the aerial battles, Liverpool would press the second balls, allowing them to push Gladbach back early on. He would also come short to receive the ball to feet.

Gladbach drop off, leaving space to Liverpool’s defenders to pick out passes

Gladbach drop off, leaving space to Liverpool’s defenders to pick out passes

Playing with Gladbach’s man-marking, Keegan and Heighway both drifted out into wide areas, dragging Vogts and Klinkhammer across the pitch. This opened up space through the centre for the runs of Case, Kennedy and in particular McDermott. This was how Liverpool took the lead: Heighway picked up the ball out on the right flank and dribbled inside, slipping a ball in behind the Gladbach backline for McDermott sprinting in behind. The Scouser slowed his run to allow the ball to run across him and fired it into the far corner.

Keegan drifts wide

Heighway drifts wide

McDermott makes a run through the middle and scores

Working up through the middle with their usual pass-and-move style, Liverpool dominated the first half. Kennedy and Case would tuck inside, giving Neal and Jones space to push on down the wings, while McDermott and Callaghan made runs to drag Gladbach’s man-markers away and open up passes through the middle for Hughes and Smith.

Many of Liverpool’s new signings would come expecting to find some grand secret methods at Liverpool, only for them to do nothing but 5-a-side in training – that training instilled those principles of possession play perfectly though. Gladbach keeping four men back pretty much at all times ensured they weren’t overrun, however Liverpool were looking comfortable.

Gladbach kept four men back in defence

Bonhof and Wittkamp would carry the ball out of defence for Gladbach, while their forward trio would all drop deep to receive the ball. It was actually quite rare for Wimmer to be positioned on the left flank despite that being his nominal position and the same went for Christian Kulik when Wimmer had to be taken off due to injury. Stielike would often venture forward to take advantage of the space that the forwards left.

Gladbach’s attackers constantly dropped deep

Gladbach were mainly restricted to long shots though. Liverpool’s midfield would frequently narrow, allowing less space for Gladbach to pass through and enabling Liverpool to double up on their opponents. If Gladbach went wide, Liverpool would shift across and trap them against the touchline, while Jones and Neal would often sprint forward to stop them from having space down the line.

Liverpool narrowed their midfield

Liverpool doubled up when defending

Liverpool trapped Gladbach wide

The second half started and Liverpool were on the attack again, however Gladbach were counter-attacking at greater speed and Liverpool were looking a little sloppy, perhaps overconfident. After neatly taking it past a Gladbach attacker, Smith gave the ball away only for Clemence to rush out and spare his blushes.

A few minutes later, as a ball fell out the sky, Neal pushed forward in anticipation of a pass with room to run ahead of him. Case’s touch was behind Neal though, playing in Allan Simonsen to get the equaliser. The Dane nearly got a second straight after when Gladbach broke forward with another rapid counter, before Clemence nearly let Gladbach have a tap-in minutes later after getting caught under a cross.

The slower pace of the first half had allowed Liverpool to hold complete control of the game, however Gladbach quickened the speed and turned it into a more even, end-to-end scrap.

Just as the momentum was swinging Gladbach’s way, Liverpool retook the lead. They won a corner that Smith met with a towering header. This was meant to be Smith’s farewell game, but the Scouser decided to stay on for another year and finished his final season as a Liverpool player injured after dropping a pickaxe on his foot.

Back in front, Liverpool did their best to slow down the tempo and kill off the game. In the sweltering Roman heat, Gladbach struggled to chase Liverpool and it wasn’t long before Neal added to their lead with a penalty.

After over a decade of trying, Liverpool finally tasted European Cup victory.

Jimmy Case’s daughter Emma is trying to create an archive of Liverpool supporters’ photos and stories, you can donate to this project here.

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