Liverpool fans will be forgiven for being worried about their upcoming Champions League semi-final against Villarreal.
This tie has all the makings of an upset. The Reds are expected to win, yet Villarreal have already dumped out Bayern Munich and Juventus. And their manager Unai Emery has previously defeated Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in a major European tie, guiding his Sevilla side to a 3-1 win in the Europa League final in Basel six years ago.
Yet Liverpool fans should take confidence from that disappointing defeat. Klopp certainly has, using it to inspire his team to the top of English and European football for the first time in a generation - as per captain Jordan Henderson's testimony.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League final in 2018, Henderson revealed how Klopp galvanised his troops in the team hotel following the Europa League final loss. He reassured them it was the start of something special - not the end of the road.
"He had this sort of vision that made me think we would get to another final," said Henderson. "He looked at the bigger picture and the future, and he felt it could be a big moment in our careers to learn from the experience.
"He wanted to use the experience of that final to keep us together and use it as a positive. If we got to another final we would be ready. At that moment I sensed that he could see that he was confident about getting to another final.
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"I definitely remember that night. I think you can see how he has taken the team forward since then has been fantastic. He has created a special dressing room with special players."
Klopp did pledge to "come back stronger" after Liverpool's defeat to Sevilla. "I am responsible for this performance," said the German at full-time. "I promise everybody we will use it and come back stronger."
Klopp also told his players to enjoy a post-match party, despite their defeat. "Two hours ago you all felt s***," he said after gathering his stars on the dancefloor. "Now hopefully you all feel better. This is just the start for us. We will play in many more finals."
Robbie Fowler was at that party. "They [the players] were all massively upset," recalled the Liverpool icon in a conversation with Klopp on The Robbie Fowler Podcast. "They were gutted, so subdued it was frightening.
"And then you just got on the microphone and gave out this big speech... 'We will get where we want to be - and need to be - pretty soon.' Your speech was so motivational, I actually thought we'd won the cup that year! It was incredible. Next minute, everyone is just having a drink and enjoying themselves and I thought: 'Wow, this man is special.'"
Replying to that story, Klopp said: "If you deal with it in the right way, you have a chance to come back... the other team have won already, so what is the thing you can get out of the situation? That is what I'm looking for. It doesn't help if we're all depressed the whole night."
Although Liverpool lost that Champions League final to Real Madrid, they won the competition 12 months later - beating Tottenham 2-0 in the final. Since then, they've added the Premier League, EFL Cup, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup to their trophy cabinet.
Liverpool could win another three pieces of silverware before the end of the season, as they aim to become the first English club in history to complete the quadruple. They've already lifted the EFL Cup and reached the final of the FA Cup. The Reds are currently second in the Premier League, one point behind leaders Manchester City.
Klopp has continued to give motivational team talks since that disappointing defeat in Basel. "That’s what it means to have a world-class manager, like him," said Diogo Jota earlier this month when asked about Klopp's rallying cries.
"You can count on him to put you back on track and to say the right things at the right times. We know that we have not just the manager, but a squad that can do whatever he wants us to do. We will just push this last month-and-a-half to go for everything. I think we are able to do that."
