THIS year’s UEFA Champions League is not just about two teams battling for the right to stand astride the European game, it is also about a clash of ideals and a journey of affirmation. Liverpool, of course, have been here before, all too often if you ask the fans of clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea, but the premier European trophy has defined the club to such an extent that nobody is ever surprised if they reach the final. Liverpool showed the rest of English football how to win the European Cup – four triumphs between 1977 and 1984 – and the events at one of their finals, some 34 years ago, were the catalyst for the barren period between 1984 and 1999 when…