The future is now for Liverpool

They were beginning to gather: outside the train station in sun-baked downtown Dortmund, in the bars and cafes around the city centre. Men, women and children in Anfield red, a youth in Emile Heskey's number eight shirt with "Beast" on the back.

But it was strangely low-key. This may be an historic day in the modern era for Liverpool FC, its first European final for 16 years, its first UEFA Cup final for a quarter of a century, but even with a unique cup treble at stake and an expected 30,000 fans over from Merseyside, there was little sense of atmosphere. This did not feel like a big Liverpool moment. Maybe the 24 cup-ties already this season have been sapping.

Then two people spoke, one Spanish, one French, and tonight's match was put in perspective. Those who had been wondering whether Liverpool's prolonged European absence, allied to their pallid return in the 1990s, had affected their reputation as one of the Continent's prestige names were quickly reminded that Liverpool retains a resonance that has endured 15 years of relative European obscurity.

Antonio Karmona, the Alaves captain, illustrated that yesterday lunchtime. Karmona was born in March 1968, and is therefore of an age when Liverpool's deeds across Europe made such an impression that supporters' clubs sprung up from Copenhagen to Cadiz.

Last Friday, Arsenal's Sylvain Wiltord had said how great Liverpool's influence had been on his Parisian upbringing and cited Ian Rush as his hero. Yesterday Karmona did the same, adding Graeme Souness to the list. "I identified with Liverpool," Karmona said. "They were one of the teams that had everything I admire in football. They were solid, committed and strong, but they also played a noble type of football.

"The funny thing is that as we've been going through this UEFA Cup we've been coming back into the dressing-room hoping to draw Liverpool in the next round. This is the match we have wanted all season. This game also means everything to the Basque people. The last Basque team to get to a European final was Atletico Bilbao in 1977, against Juventus. They lost on the away goals rule. The Basques have been waiting a long time."

As have Liverpool, of course, and with the added burden of the past confronting them at every angle. Gerard Houllier has spoken before about the number of exLiverpool players working in the media, and yesterday he again was asked to contrast, compare and appreciate the 1970s and the 1980s with the present.

Houllier did it with admirable patience, even if his last remark was: "It hasn't always been easy." He preceded that immediately with: "Souness is not a player any more," but there had been much less flippant answers given before.

"The club that I've always followed and supported made its reputation because of its domination over Europe in particular," said Houllier. "The tragedy of Heysal put an end to their European domination. I know that in England they rate winning the domestic trophies, and I was aware of what winning the FA Cup was like a dream for some of the English players.

"But for a Frenchman, Europe is important. We know the weight of the past, but it was like that in France: Platini had the weight of Kopa and the present generation of Deschamps had the weight of Platini.

"We are a developing team, the average starting age against Arsenal was 25. We are maturing, and just reaching three finals in a year is incredible. To me Europe means more because that has an impact worldwide. From a personal point of view, and from the players' point of view, this could be the beginning of a new era."

Asked, again, what Liverpool's past meant today, Houllier added: "I'm afraid I have no special feeling. As a manager you think about your team. This is a stage, we have other stages to reach. The feeling I have is more about the camp, the players and the staff, rather than the past. My feeling is that we are getting there. We have a lot of optimism."

Enter stage left, a blast from the past. John Toshack was one of the 1970s Anfield glory boys. Now Toshack is general manager of Alaves' neighbours Real Sociedad, and Toshack's opinion is: "Having got this far in the competition, I can't see Alaves losing.

"They are a very solid unit, a very complete all-round team. Liverpool have a lot of prestige in European football, but Alaves have reached the final purely on merit. Nobody has gifted them anything and they have beaten top-level teams. I can see them taking this cup."

That would be some achievement given this is Alaves' debut in Europe and six years ago they were part-timers. It would be comparable to Liverpool's possible treble.

A question on that theme, however, irritated Houllier a little. Liverpool were accused of "betraying" football by the Spanish press after the first leg of the semifinal in Barcelona, and hardly received a deluge of praise for the limited ambition of their tactics in Cardiff. Considering that Alaves are known as a side that soaks up attacks and then counters, Houllier's joke that neither team will leave their half was only half-funny to neutral ears.

Then he offered the defence. "We're supposed to be a counter-attacking team and we've scored 118 goals since the start of this season. I don't think we have scored 117 on the break."

Sitting beside Houllier was Michael Owen. Eight goals in his last four matches, the Owen bandwagon is at close to full pelt. Another this evening, or even two, and Owen would begin what Houllier really wants: the attributing of greatness to his Liverpool. The Liverpool of now.