“For Liverpool it’s been the season of Peter Gabriel, Beautiful South and James; Channel 4 News celebrating our chants and we’ve had James Milner as the best midfielder in Europe. And losing to Real Madrid feels oddly exciting.”

Around this time last year I wasn’t myself. My first book came out which I’d spent a year writing, and by a year I mean every waking hour. I’d get up for work and be writing it on the sly from 8am-4pm, then from 4-11pm I’d stay behind and write some more. It took over my life: I never saw my mates, hardly saw my family, and didn’t give enough quality time to my girlfriend.
When it was released I absolutely spiralled. My life went from being overwhelmingly busy to completely empty and I became depressed as a consequence. It’s funny; what was supposed to be the proudest achievement of my life actually sunk me, and the more success the book had, the more it held my head under the water. I’m telling you this because I remember losing all passion for the things I cared about, even Liverpool FC. We drew 3-3 with Watford first game of the season and I missed it because I was at group therapy, but I wasn’t arsed. The result that day reflected my state of being. But football has this incredible way – if you’re truly in love with a club – of mirroring life. That was the start of the season and I was devoid of optimism. By the last game of 17/18 I was in Kiev with the lads roaring the club on – both Liverpool and myself having returned to where we belonged.
That occasion represented my current state of being. Watching all the lads and girls around me in the lower-tier going absolutely mad for Dua Lipa gave me the chills. ‘This is it.’ There will be defeats in life – there will be defeats in football – but you have to make the most of the good times when they come. What football teaches us is that it’s never over, there is always another match, run of form and season to come.