THE chance to surpass Nottingham Forest's achievements in Europe was a motivating factor for the Liverpool team in 1981.
After relinquishing their European crown to Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest, Liverpool were not going to miss the opportunity presented to them in Paris to win it back.
Alan Kennedy explains: "In many ways Liverpool had been upset and hurt in the previous couple of years because Nottingham Forest had taken their mantle. Liverpool had won it in 1977 and '78 and they come along in '79 and '80 and did brilliantly well, I have to say. Obviously we wanted to try and win it back.
"In Europe I wouldn't say we were unbeatable, but we collected the results and seemed to get it right. I think a lot of teams feared English teams because they were strong physically, had a lot of skill and good work-rate. But the biggest compliment you can pay the English was they played as a team. The foreign play-ers couldn't handle us.
"We never went into a game we thought we were going to lose and I'm sure Forest felt that as well because and then Villa came along and did it '82. So it was a good period for English football.
"It probably will never happen again with teams from the same country. I remember Ipswich going so well in the UEFA Cup, winning that as well."
Kennedy says the Anfield team spirit was an important weapon in their armoury.
"We had a good team camaraderie and we had a strength that we felt we could just about beat anybody," he says. "I don't think you are ever too confident. Real Madrid had a particularly good record in the competition and probably people thought it was an evenly-matched game.
"Laurie Cunningham was playing for them. They had good midfield players in Santillano and Stielike, the German international. Even though our form had been a bit indifferent on the way to the final we had beaten some very good teams."
