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Champions League football makes a return
After more than a year's absence, Champions League football makes a return to Anfield tonight.
Liverpool will take on last year's finalists Monaco in a Group A match. The French side however is not the same team that they were last season. The stars of the side that surprised many - including beating favourites Real Madrid at the quarter final stage - have left.
Ludovic Giuly has joined Barca, Jerome Rothen has moved to PSG, Dado Prso has switched to Rangers and Fernando Morientes has returned to Real Madrid after his successful loan spell and manager Didier Deschamps will now be looking for inspiration from new sources. He managed to acquire three new strikers in Javier Chevantón, Mohamed Kallon and Javier Saviola. Argentinian Saviola, who was scouted at length by Liverpool when he was a teenager (before his move to Barca) misses this match through suspension.
"The players who stayed will have the experience and will know what to expect in terms of determination and commitment." the Monaco boss said.
However, in the 4-3-3 system which Deschamps has been using in the early part of this term, the midfield trio of Lucas Bernardi, Akis Zikos and new Uruguayan signing Diego Perez are all essentially destroyers, high on blood and sweat but low on creative inspiration.
And that is where Steven Gerrard comes into the equation. Deschamps himself has pinpointed the Liverpool skipper as the biggest threat to his side's chances.
The former Chelsea player observed: "Liverpool depend a lot on Steven Gerrard. He is their driving force. When he plays well, Liverpool play well. He does everything, tackles, passes long or short, gets forward, scores goals. Above all, I like him because of his spirit. He badly wants to win."
If Stevie G. can (i think he definitely will) keep up the good form he has been showing since last season (and has spilled into this one), there is no reason why the Reds cannot collect all three points tonight.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has some selection problems to solve. He admitted recently that the team that played against West Brom wasn't his best line-up and that the best players doesn't necessarily make up the best team.
In this Champions League opener however he is expected to name his best possible team. Xabi Alonso was not involved from the start in the 3-0 win and he is tipped to start this time round at the expense of either Steve Finnan (who scored against the Baggies) or Didi Hamann (who has been in decent form so far this season).
Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland returns to the squad after recovering from an injury but Jerzy DUdek will certainly retain his place in the side.
"I will change some of the players, perhaps," said Benitez
"Everyone wants to play and that is very important. But yes, I may change some of the personnel in the team."
Liverpool's probable line-up:-
Dudek(gk) , Josemi, Carra, Hyypia, Riise, Gerrard, Hamann, Alonso, Garcia, Cisse
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez admitted after the match that the Reds could have scored more. He couldn't be further from the truth. If some of the players were a lot sharper in front of goal, it would have been a humiliating result for last year's finalists. However, it was a good all-round team performance and definitely a fantastic start to the Champions League campaign.
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Match Report
This was the sort of football Liverpool fans crave: quick and slick passing and attacking ambition, completely unfettered by fear. Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros scored the goals that sealed the win but the dirty work done by Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso deserved to be mentioned. The player wearing the No.10 shirt, Luis Garcia was again impressive playing just off the main striker.
Monaco striker Mohamed Kallon had the first real effort of the game after just two minutes with a cheeky shot from about 40 yards which flew over the crossbar as he tried to catch Jerzy Dudek off his line.
But Liverpool started to grow in confidence with some crisp passing and neat and tidy movement.
The impressive Garcia had the Reds' first real effort on goal on 18 minutes with a brilliant swerving strike from 30 yards out which flew just over the angle of post and crossbar.
Alonso's ability to switch play with long, raking passes kept a good supply coming Finnan's way with Josemi up in support and the lively Luis Garcia linking well.
And it was no surprise to see who was involved in the move that led to the first goal of the match. The pace of the attack was so good, the individual touches applied so assured that Monaco's defence was cut to pieces. Xabi Alonso took a quick freekick to give the ball to his skipper and a bewildering exchange of short one-twos between Gerrard and Garcia swept possession into the danger zone before Cisse drilled the ball past Flavio Roma in the Monaco goal.
Liverpool were playing with real confidence after the goal and Garcia came close to doubling the lead on 29 minutes, getting on the end of Cisse's flick on and firing in a shot which Roma did well to keep out with his legs.
The home team came close to grabbing a second goal right on the stroke of half time with Gerrard sending over a delicious ball to Garcia who saw his header at the far post tipped wide by Roma. If you wanted to know what they call a world-class pass, this was it. Stevie G's execution matched his vison to perfection to pick out the Spaniard.
Gerrard was booked 6 minutes after the break for what looked like an innocent slip. The midfielder wanted to pull out of his challenge but the wet surface of the pitch ensured that his trailing leg followed up on Squillaci after the ball had already gone and he was wrongly given a yellow card.
Harry Kewell who was slowly getting into the game combined well with Garcia before releasing Djibril Cisse through on goal. With just the keeper to beat, the striker went for power instead of placement and Flavio Roma stopped his effort.
Monaco were trying everything they could to come back into the game and one sensed that the Liverpool players were getting nervous and they desperately needed the second goal to kill off the tie.
Garcia should have made the game safe nine minutes from time when Finnan picked him out unmarked inside the box and with the goal at his mercy he somehow dragged a shot with his left foot wide of the target.
The clincher that the Reds wanted finally arrived when Milan Baros who had came on in place of Djibril Cisse found the back of the net. Josemi's long ball found the Czech striker who chested the ball to bring it down (it looked like he may have used his arm). Baros moved right, glided around two attempted challenges, dummied to shoot with his right before transferring the ball on to his left and placing the most confident of shots cooly into the net.
Game, set and match for the Reds. And the manager will be hoping that their new-found confidence and crisp passing continues (especially in the next match against Man Utd).
Liverpool (4-4-2): Dudek; Josemi, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise; Finnan, Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Kewell (Warnock, 76); Cissé (Baros, 68), Luis Garcia (Biscan, 86). Substitutes not used: Kirkland (gk), Diao, Hamann, Traore.
Monaco (3-5-2): Roma; Squillaci, Rodriguez, Givet (El-Fakiri, 79); Maicon, Perez (Juan, 89), Zikos, Farnerud, Evra (Camara, 45); Kallon, Adebayor. Substitutes not used: Audard (gk), Modesto, Lacombe, Lescure.
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Analysis
Defence
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Jerzy Dudek is obviously a very good shot stopper but he has got to learn to command the defence. With no disrespect to Monaco's strikers, much better forwards would have punished Dudek and Carra. Their lack of understanding or their moments of miscommunication rather never fails to give the fans the jitters and it is something Rafa Benitez has to look into. To be fair, all the defenders did well and Monaco never really had a clearcut opportunity to score from. And the Liverpool fullbacks continued their fine form in this match. Josemi showed that he was not only a very good defender but that he was also a decent passer of the ball. He created two goalscoring chances for Baros (from which he scored one) with his long passes from the right. And Riise even found time and space to run into the opposing half. Both did very well with providing extra width down the flanks and supporting the wingers.
Midfield
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Didi Hamann who has served Liverpool well in the last few matches was dropped (or rested some might say). His replacement Xabi Alonso did play well and launched a few excellent passes especially down the right channel. His delivery of the ball was definitely not inferior to Gerrard's. While it is expected that the Reds will play Hamann and Gerrard with/without Alonso in away games against strong sides, the Alonso & Gerrard partnership will obviously be the first-choice pairing in the future. The skipper yet again led by example and he fully deserved the Man of the Match award. The way he found Garcia in the first half with an unbelievable pass is just one of many components of his all-round game. It was a shame that he was booked (unfairly) in the second half. Kewell yet again showed in this match that he possesses the ability to provide the flair and the magic to open up defences but at times he was also frustrating. Finnan's contribution to the win cannot be forgotten though and he knew exactly when to keep it simple and when to take a risk.
Attack
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Luis Garcia, the £6 million signing from Barca, was again a box of tricks, again mixing invention and industry in the hole position just behind Cisse. But like many others on the night, he wasted a couple of goalscoring chances. Djibril Cisse finished off a great move involving Alonso, Gerrard and Garcia superbly and was frustrated to be called offside so many times by the assistant referee. He also had opportunites to increase his goal tally but failed to do so. As the understanding between him and his team-mates improves, the powerful Frenchman will definitely see his name among the topscorers in England. Czech Republic ace Milan Baros came on for the former Auxerre player as Benitez noticed Liverpool needed a different option upfront. And he didn't disappoint. It was a superb individual goal to settle the nerves for the Reds and he really should have bagged a second moments later.
