‘Bring the Noise’ is the title of Jurgen Klopp’s biography.
How the ‘heavy metal’ football lover must wish he could do that when Real Madrid turn up at Anfield next week.
Facing a two-goal deficit to keep alive hopes of an unlikely seventh Champions League trophy (and automatic entry next season), he could use the one-goal start the Kop is reckoned to be worth.
Alas, it won’t be possible which only underlines how Liverpool are suffering more than any other club from the empty grounds and lack of atmosphere.
In some quarters, such fan dependency may be seen as a weakness; with Liverpool it is a symbiotic relationship.
And in a silent, soulless arena, few fans feel the Reds can do what they did against Barcelona (with an even bigger deficit) two years ago when the Kop justly claimed a couple of assists.
Based on Tuesday’s showing, even a full-throated roar from the faithful would not be enough. For this was not the Liverpool of the last three years – but a pale, insipid imitation.
Unrecognisable from the side that has been European, world and English champions, they were ghosts of their former selves – but ghosts that wouldn’t frighten the cat.
Liverpool fans hadn’t seen such a lily-livered showing since Roy Hodgson was in charge. Even the “reserves” Brendan Rogers sent to the Bernabeu in 2014 put up a better effort.
The more authentic ‘ghosts’ were Real, for whom the Champions League anthem does what “You’ll Never Walk Alone” does for Liverpool.
Clad in their traditional all-white, they glided about the Alfredo di Stefano stadium, spooking Klopp’s men with class and purpose.
What would Klopp give for Vinicius Junior, the latest livewire Brazilian striker, who seemed to have more energy than the Reds’ front three combined?
Other noises Liverpool are longing to hear are the on-field commands of Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk whose leadership and inspiration are being sorely missed.
Gini Wijnaldum is not a skipper and Naby Keita is a massive disappointment. Klopp waited a year to sign the Guinea man, paid £50m and he’s done nothing in three seasons.
The collective non-performance in Madrid was all the harder to take after the way they’d dominated Arsenal at the weekend.
Without approaching the heights of previous seasons, they appeared to have at least stopped the rot and regained something of their mojo.
The makeshift defence has looked more solid in recent weeks but against the misfiring Gunners, they weren’t even tested.
Keeper Alisson spent the afternoon twirling his new moustache while Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak didn’t let the £200m trio of Pepe, Lacazette and Aubameyang have a kick.
With Thiago and Fabinho in tandem, there was evidence the midfield and front line were also clicking into gear. And with favourable results elsewhere, the top four did not look quite such a tall order.
Leicester, Chelsea and Spurs all dropped points, but then we had reckoned without David Moyes’s West Ham, of all people.
Occupying a dizzy fourth place, having leapfrogged the Reds with their win at Wolves on Monday, the in-form Londoners cannot be dismissed.
If the two Manchester clubs look nailed on for first and second, there are still six clubs – if we include Everton – dicing for the two remaining tickets on the gravy train. And they’re not all going to step aside obligingly for Liverpool.
On the evidence of Madrid, the weaknesses that have caused the implosion – it’s hard to believe, but they were top on Boxing Day – have not been remedied and more than a tweak will be necessary.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has put in two successive performances that could hardly contrast more starkly. The first made his England exclusion look ridiculous; the second suggested that Gareth Southgate had a point.
All these coaches who target him cannot be wrong and it could be that his best position is midfield where he started.
The overworked, ever-present Andy Robertson has gone from being the best left back in the world to the second best in Scotland – Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney looking sharper these days.
Kabak looks to have potential and is worth a punt, but with no guarantees the recovering centreback trio will be the same again, another with pace and good feet is needed.
Mo Salah keeps scoring but is not the threat he was in his first season, while Sadio Mane and Firmino have lost their edge.
Diogo Jota has been a success, but another striker is needed. If there’s no young player that fits the bill, they could do worse than bring back Danny Ings.
There is the more immediate business of playing Aston Villa this weekend and avenging that incredible 7-2 hiding before the first of the casualties. Only a reversal of that scoreline is likely to make Real quake in their boots.
They have the small matter of El Clasico before flying north, and you wouldn’t put it past them to end a season that they’d almost written off with a La Liga/Champions League double.
But if Liverpool can bring their own noise and turn Wednesday into one of Anfield’s most famous nights, it will still be heard around the world.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.