Liverpool’s Kop faces long wait for glory days to return to Anfield

Should he ever return to the Premier League, Luis Suarez said the only team he would ever play for is his former club, Liverpool.

The prolific Barcelona striker said since his £75-million (HK$835 million) move to La Liga, he had missed the Anfield faithful and the “incredible” atmosphere they created. “Everyone that has played for Liverpool knows how important the supporters are. They know that they are in my heart,” cooed the Uruguayan international this week.

Though his sentiment was genuine and meant as a mark of respect, it offered mere cold comfort for Liverpool supporters.

How they could do with him now to add weight to Anfield’s thin red line. The atmosphere Suarez spoke of with such fondness was in evidence midweek, when a much-maligned Liverpool team scraped past Stoke in a penalty shoot-out to book a League Cup final berth next month.

Liverpool fans have endured many edge-of-the-seat nights over the years, from Rome to Istanbul, Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium to Wembley.

But even by their standards, the desperate, stuttering performance and lucky escape from humiliation at the hands of Mark Hughes’ impressive Potters was excruciating.