Articles
Liverpool Echo report
IN A PERVERSE way, there was a sense of reassurance to be gleaned from Liverpool’s turgid triumph in Toulouse.
Rafa Benitez’s promise to put the Premier League top of his priority list was graphically underlined in a dire game, where his side gave an exhibition in how to do ‘just enough’.
It seems the days when vital domestic points are sacrificed for European progression are gone, and for this we can all be grateful.
Toulouse were given the respect they deserved, but the main regret for Benitez and his players was the shadow of Chelsea didn’t provide a cooling blanket across the pitch.
The team selection and substitutions, especially the replacement of a worried Steven Gerrard, confirmed the view Benitez feels able to approach the start of this season in a different frame of mind to the last.
The ease with which his side was able to secure an away win, at times playing with the handbrake on, let alone in first gear, justified the manager’s predictable half dozen changes.
Those who were called upon still had plenty to prove, although Peter Crouch and Andriy Voronin could count themselves unfortunate the debilitating conditions made anything like a normal performance impossible.
Voronin’s contribution was the only effort of note in the entire game, utterly out of character with everything else we saw.
The Ukranian cost nothing, but he’s probably already secured £12m with his cracking 25-yard strike beyond Nicolas Douchez.
Voronin was surprisingly impressive in pre-season, for no other reason than the prejudice you don’t expect Bosmans with pony-tails to be any good.
The last Liverpool striker signed from the Bundesliga was Erik Meijer, and after one start Voronin has already halved the Dutchman’s career total at Anfield.
Expectations, it’s fair to say, have already been surpassed, which bodes well for the rest of his season.
Other than long balls to Crouch and Gerrard’s hunting from midfield, there was little more threat from Benitez’s side.
But Toulouse contributed most to the dourness with the kind of startling lack of ambition Lucas Neill would be proud of.
You sensed the French had no belief they could hurt Benitez’s side, persisting with a sole attacker, showing little will or ability to play at a high tempo, and doing nothing to encourage any enthusiasm for the home crowd.
Liverpool were invited to play at a pre-season friendly pace, and given the heat and their upcoming schedule, it was a request they willingly accepted.
Voronin’s goal was a welcome bonus.
Had the managers been invited to shake hands and say ‘see you in two weeks’ there and then, bizarrely, one suspects both would have agreed.
Even the timing of kick-off exposed the French lack of belief.
Allowing the game to start in Southern France at 4.30pm to maximise television revenue – but at the expense of a worthwhile contest – suggests Toulouse weren’t expecting to benefit from the £12m kitty from the group stage.
There was a brief rally from the hosts after the interval, and Pepe Reina was called upon far more, but the most dangerous moment involved an injury to the Liverpool skipper.
Nowadays, any foot injury provokes fears of the dreaded ‘m’ word.
On the flight home, Gerrard’s anxiety was all too evident.
If he’s missing on Sunday, perhaps Chelsea will be agreeable to a postponement until the Anfield captain and Jose Mourinho’s alleged absentees are fit enough to make it a more attractive fixture?
Liverpool eased towards full-time, with Javier Mascherano’s role as most eye-catching performer summing the game up.
He was tidy, diligent and disciplined, but there was an absence of flair.
For Liverpool, this was not a day to show their best, but to do a professional job while conserving as much energy as possible.
Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun enjoyed nothing more than flashes of usefulness on a forgettable afternoon, while Sami Hyypia was as professional as ever when deputising for Daniel Agger.
Unquestionably, there’s already a different feel to this Champions League season.
Perhaps the experience of two finals in three seasons has made supporters blasé about their team’s European ambitions.
Maybe the club takeover has made the £12m reward seem less pivotal to Liverpool’s immediate ambitions on or off the park.
Most likely, the season is beginning with a resolute determination not to allow any distraction from the prime objective.
The Premiership, not the Champions League, has captured the imagination of Liverpool supporters at the beginning of this campaign.
For the prestige of consolidating Liverpool’s position among the elite in the group stage, and potential success later in the season, in hindsight this routine win may still become one of the most important.
But as the Liverpool officials and players departed France already looking ahead to Chelsea, it certainly didn’t feel that way.
TOULOUSE: Douchez; Ebondo (Sissoko 83), Cetto, Fofana, Mathieu, Dieuze, Cesar (Gignac 70). Emana, Siriex, Bergoughoux (Mansare 45), Elmander. Not used: Riou, Alves, Jonsson.
LIVERPOOL: Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Arbeloa; Benayoun (Riise 59), Gerrard (Sissoko 65), Mascherano, Babel; Voronin (Torres 78), Crouch. Not used: Atandje, Alonso, Kuyt, Agger.
REFEREE: K. Vassaras (Greece).
BOOKED: Cetto, Elmander, Moussa Sissoko.
ATTENDANCE: 30,380
Rafa Benitez’s promise to put the Premier League top of his priority list was graphically underlined in a dire game, where his side gave an exhibition in how to do ‘just enough’.
It seems the days when vital domestic points are sacrificed for European progression are gone, and for this we can all be grateful.
Toulouse were given the respect they deserved, but the main regret for Benitez and his players was the shadow of Chelsea didn’t provide a cooling blanket across the pitch.
The team selection and substitutions, especially the replacement of a worried Steven Gerrard, confirmed the view Benitez feels able to approach the start of this season in a different frame of mind to the last.
The ease with which his side was able to secure an away win, at times playing with the handbrake on, let alone in first gear, justified the manager’s predictable half dozen changes.
Those who were called upon still had plenty to prove, although Peter Crouch and Andriy Voronin could count themselves unfortunate the debilitating conditions made anything like a normal performance impossible.
Voronin’s contribution was the only effort of note in the entire game, utterly out of character with everything else we saw.
The Ukranian cost nothing, but he’s probably already secured £12m with his cracking 25-yard strike beyond Nicolas Douchez.
Voronin was surprisingly impressive in pre-season, for no other reason than the prejudice you don’t expect Bosmans with pony-tails to be any good.
The last Liverpool striker signed from the Bundesliga was Erik Meijer, and after one start Voronin has already halved the Dutchman’s career total at Anfield.
Expectations, it’s fair to say, have already been surpassed, which bodes well for the rest of his season.
Other than long balls to Crouch and Gerrard’s hunting from midfield, there was little more threat from Benitez’s side.
But Toulouse contributed most to the dourness with the kind of startling lack of ambition Lucas Neill would be proud of.
You sensed the French had no belief they could hurt Benitez’s side, persisting with a sole attacker, showing little will or ability to play at a high tempo, and doing nothing to encourage any enthusiasm for the home crowd.
Liverpool were invited to play at a pre-season friendly pace, and given the heat and their upcoming schedule, it was a request they willingly accepted.
Voronin’s goal was a welcome bonus.
Had the managers been invited to shake hands and say ‘see you in two weeks’ there and then, bizarrely, one suspects both would have agreed.
Even the timing of kick-off exposed the French lack of belief.
Allowing the game to start in Southern France at 4.30pm to maximise television revenue – but at the expense of a worthwhile contest – suggests Toulouse weren’t expecting to benefit from the £12m kitty from the group stage.
There was a brief rally from the hosts after the interval, and Pepe Reina was called upon far more, but the most dangerous moment involved an injury to the Liverpool skipper.
Nowadays, any foot injury provokes fears of the dreaded ‘m’ word.
On the flight home, Gerrard’s anxiety was all too evident.
If he’s missing on Sunday, perhaps Chelsea will be agreeable to a postponement until the Anfield captain and Jose Mourinho’s alleged absentees are fit enough to make it a more attractive fixture?
Liverpool eased towards full-time, with Javier Mascherano’s role as most eye-catching performer summing the game up.
He was tidy, diligent and disciplined, but there was an absence of flair.
For Liverpool, this was not a day to show their best, but to do a professional job while conserving as much energy as possible.
Ryan Babel and Yossi Benayoun enjoyed nothing more than flashes of usefulness on a forgettable afternoon, while Sami Hyypia was as professional as ever when deputising for Daniel Agger.
Unquestionably, there’s already a different feel to this Champions League season.
Perhaps the experience of two finals in three seasons has made supporters blasé about their team’s European ambitions.
Maybe the club takeover has made the £12m reward seem less pivotal to Liverpool’s immediate ambitions on or off the park.
Most likely, the season is beginning with a resolute determination not to allow any distraction from the prime objective.
The Premiership, not the Champions League, has captured the imagination of Liverpool supporters at the beginning of this campaign.
For the prestige of consolidating Liverpool’s position among the elite in the group stage, and potential success later in the season, in hindsight this routine win may still become one of the most important.
But as the Liverpool officials and players departed France already looking ahead to Chelsea, it certainly didn’t feel that way.
TOULOUSE: Douchez; Ebondo (Sissoko 83), Cetto, Fofana, Mathieu, Dieuze, Cesar (Gignac 70). Emana, Siriex, Bergoughoux (Mansare 45), Elmander. Not used: Riou, Alves, Jonsson.
LIVERPOOL: Reina; Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Arbeloa; Benayoun (Riise 59), Gerrard (Sissoko 65), Mascherano, Babel; Voronin (Torres 78), Crouch. Not used: Atandje, Alonso, Kuyt, Agger.
REFEREE: K. Vassaras (Greece).
BOOKED: Cetto, Elmander, Moussa Sissoko.
ATTENDANCE: 30,380
