Danny Murphy knows it would be a different kind of special to reach the UEFA Europa League Final with Fulham.
Our Captain won the competition in its previous guise of the UEFA Cup nine years ago with Liverpool, but this time he’s the underdog rather than the favourite.
“You appreciate things more now,” Murphy said. “You just assumed at Liverpool that each year would be a Final. But as you get older, you realise that’s not the case.
“It is a different adventure up there. With Liverpool, expectation is always there.
“We are talking about reaching a Final which would be one of the greatest achievements of our history, whereas at Liverpool they are talking about reaching the same Final as if it were just a consolation.
“There is no greater pleasure than winning trophies, whether you are expected to or not. Winning trophies up at Liverpool were some of the best memories of my life.
“But to do it with Fulham, or get to the Final, is more satisfying because nobody gave us a chance to do that. We were dismissed at the start of the tournament for many reasons.
“To overcome the challenges we have faced, in terms of the quality of the teams, injuries, suspensions and keeping our Premier League campaign going, it’s hard to put into words what we have achieved.
“Not so many years ago, this Club were in the lower leagues and it was only two years ago we needed to win on the last day of the season to stay up. So this has been a fairy tale in many ways, and the Manager deserves credit for that.
“The way we play seems to suit a more European style. We play in a patient manner, with possession. In a way, it has come from Roy’s Italian roots; it’s an Italian style.”
Hamburg will be led by a different coach in the Second Leg, after Bruno Labbadia was dismissed soon after their 5-1 humbling by Hoffenheim at the weekend.
The man stepping into his shoes, Ricardo Moniz, is someone Murphy knows well from their time together at Tottenham Hotspur.
“He was a skills coach, not a manager, who worked mostly on wingers and creative midfielders,” Murphy recalled.
“He was a good coach and all the lads liked him a lot. I spoke to him after the First Leg at Hamburg last Thursday. I had not realised he was even there with them.
“I just hope he has a bizarre tactical plan that goes horribly wrong on the night. However, I’m pretty certain he will be fired up and that all of his players will play for him.
“Hamburg could have Mickey Mouse in charge of them and still be desperate to get to a European Final which is played at their own stadium.”