Comparisons with Liverpool’s illustrious past have often irked Jürgen Klopp as he endeavours to illuminate the future and demands that his players write their own history.

He will make an exception for a showpiece European occasion with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Tommy Smith’s bullet-header, Bruce Grobbelaar’s spaghetti legs and Alan Kennedy’s penalty will all form part of the Liverpool manager’s revision for what he hopes will be a Champions League semi-final shaped by destiny.

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Liverpool’s visit to the Italian capital for the second leg on 2 May will be Klopp’s first appearance at Stadio Olimpico. His club and their supporters will require no introduction. Two of Liverpool’s five European Cup triumphs were secured in Rome, against Borussia Mönchengladbach in 1977 and Roma in 1984, and Klopp will revisit both finals before meeting Eusebio Di Francesco’s team. The football fan in the German came to the fore as, for once, he looked back.

“I will watch the two finals for sure because it is destiny or whatever,” Klopp said. “If any German goes to Bern in Switzerland he cannot avoid thinking about 1954 [the World Cup final comeback against Hungary]. There are not a lot of people around on the planet from that time now but it is just a special place. You think: ‘OK, it happened here, well done, all these guys.’ That is how it is, but it was too long ago. If I find something that helped make this place even more remarkable or special for Liverpool then I will use it. Thank God Rome is still Rome. It is the place, it is not who did what, it’s the place.”

Klopp is not averse to Liverpool history lessons; it is the weight he feels it places on the club’s current players that he does not like. Having defeated Manchester City 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals he senses that weight may be lifting.

“I love our history but it is not allowed to compare us constantly,” he says. “You can do whatever you want but it is not allowed for us. Those teams were great but they became great in these situations and now people say, ‘They did it like this.’

Quick guide Liverpool’s love affair with Rome Show Hide 1977: Liverpool’s first European Cup final had Bob Paisley’s side take on Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Eternal City, with goals from Terry McDermott, Tommy Smith and Phil Neal’s penalty sealing a 3-1 victory. 'This is the second time I’ve beaten the Germans here,' said Paisley, who had been part of the Allied invasion of Italy in the second world war. 1984: Victories over Benfica and Dinamo Bucharest set up Liverpool’s fourth final in eight years. Their opponents were conquerors of Dundee United in the semi-finals and playing at their home stadium, but after Roberto Pruzzo cancelled out Neal’s opener, Bruce Grobbelaar’s wobbly legs helped secure a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout.

“I had a very famous German national player who was the coach of a second division team when I was in the second division. He did a shooting session and the boys were kind of my level so not too good. This guy took the ball and scored five times and said: ‘Look it is not that difficult.’ The boys were standing around and thinking now we know you can do it but we still have no clue. It is good to have role models but in the end you have to do it your own way.”

Klopp, who insists victory over Bournemouth on Saturday should be the club’s sole focus when seeking a top-four finish, claims belief is also soaring among players, fans and Anfield legends, having reached the last four of the Champions League.

He added: “It’s nice being in the semi-finals. Like I said before Manchester City, write our own history. You only judge history when you watch it back and I am really happy we are in a situation where we are focused on this group. The legends we all love are around and they are clapping because they like this. Kenny Dalglish is over the moon and completely on fire. Steven Gerrard and all the other guys in between, you can feel it and see it. That’s cool.

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“It’s normal when you go to a semi-final, especially after a long time and you hear the numbers – Bayern six times in a row, semi-final; Madrid eight. Then Roma and us. That’s nice but in the end it’s a nice sign that we are so far so good.

“The City game showed it but we have space to improve. Yes, in a few moments we can be at a really high level and we have a few things that make us an uncomfortable opponent and the other team has to think: ‘We better not do that’.

“Think of the second half against City. It would have been nice for Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] to score but it was important because the boys in that moment felt like they had been under fire for 500 minutes and then you almost put them out with the big chance. That is how our development is the whole season.

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“When they work they get more confident and now it’s a case of attitude, character, staying greedy and wanting to do the next step. That’s why it is important we are now fully focused on Bournemouth. Everything is positive, talk so much about positive things and as human beings when you constantly hear you are fantastic it is the first step to not being fantastic any more. We have to stay this kind of angry.

“We have so much to go for and it will never stop because even if the season finishes there will be space for improvement and working from that is the plan. The relationship between us and the supporters, in terms of the sense of belief from both sides, has reached the next level and that’s all credit to the boys.”