Walton Breck Road

Liverpool FC: Thank you Rafa Benitez for making me dream

By Michael Owen

On the 25th of May 2005 I was sat in the Ataturk Stadium, Istanbul. The players were walking out of the tunnel and my Dad turned and said to me “You’re not going to enjoy this”. He was right.

Support for Rafa worldwide (photo from JingMc)

Through 90 minutes of football, 30 minutes of extra-time and an agonising penalty shootout I went through more emotions than I’d been through in my entire life from excitement to despair, disappointment to utter euphoria and the lowest of the low to top of the world all over the course of one football match.

I remember after one particularly gloomy night of football at Anfield I asked my Dad if I’d ever see Liverpool in a Champions League final like Manchester United in 1999 – he told me he wouldn’t put money on it. 

Remembering that moment whilst sat in the ground in Istanbul made me not care about the result, win, lose or draw I’d seen Liverpool get to a European Cup final in what was a roller-coaster ride of a tournament which saw the Reds see off the likes of Juventus, Leverkusen and Chelsea. 

When I saw Steven Gerrard lifting the trophy that night it made me dream of past glories I wasn’t lucky enough to be around for, it made me believe Liverpool FC could go on to conquer the world.

That belief was created by Rafael Benitez. 

Despite what the pundits may say, he didn’t disappoint in his six years in charge at Anfield. Aside from the fantastic Newcastle games under Evans and the FA and UEFA Cup wins under Houlier Rafael Benitez and his side provided me with my best memories of being a Liverpool supporter. 

In the past six years I’ve seen Liverpool see off some of the best in Europe. Spanish giants Barcelona and Madrid have fell at the hands of the Rafalution, as have AC, Inter and Juventus. On the domestic front I’ve seen us thrash United, defy Romans Russian millions at Chelsea and, oh, yeah, beat Everton more times than I can remember. 

 I’ve been astonished by brilliant performances from players like Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso, whilst I’ve been utterly wowed by Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher who have both become world-class players thanks to Benitez.

For three years I thought Liverpool FC could do about anything. In 2005 we secured the European Cup and Super Cup. In 2006 we brought home the FA Cup and Charity Shield and in 2007 we reached the Champions League final again. 

But just months before our close defeat at the hands of AC Milan a lethal dose of poison was inject into the veins of the club I love, that poison was Tom Hicks and George Gillett. 

Now, three years later, I have grown to hate our happy-go-lucky American owners and what they’ve done to Liverpool Football Club and the manager I felt could take us to new heights. 

Where Benitez wanted Villa the board offered Voronin, when Silva was sought after all that could be afforded was Riera and there was certainly no sign of Snoggy Doggy. 

Despite the sometimes questionable tactics, often strange policies and a notably stubborn attitude I truly believe I’d be talking about Liverpool FC –English Champions if Benitez had signed who he wanted to over the past six years. Alves, Simao, Silva and Villa are just a few names the boss missed out on and that cost the club dearly.

The boardroom battles that he fought to try and get as much as he could to take the club forward eventually broke him and a disappointing season was the result, but for five years before that Rafael Benitez turned Liverpool FC from falling stars to European powerhouses and for that I commend him. 

But I’ll remember the good times, the mad nights and day’s home, away and abroad. But most importantly I’ll remember that Rafael Benitez made me dream again. 

Thanks Rafa – You’ll Never Walk Alone. 

Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea: Reds Champions League hopes ended as Blues inch closer to title

By Michael Owen

Chelsea received a major boost in their race for the Premier League title today as they saw off Liverpool at Anfield, beating the Reds by two goals.

Gerrard's mistake cost Liverpool in the first-half 

Dider Drogba and Frank Lampard were the scorers for the Blues, with Liverpool only managing to test Chelsea keeper Petr Cech once, when Dirk Kuyt took a shot from left of the target which the Czech shot-stopper collected awkwardly.

The home side had started the game well, playing at a good tempo and piling the pressure onto the Blues defence.

But Chelsea’s back-four were resilient throughout the first half-hour before their patience paid off as Steven Gerrard misjudged a back-pass towards the Liverpool goal, allowing Drogba to intercept and fire easily past Pepe Reina.

From then on the Stamford Bridge side grew in confidence, making some excellent moves going forward with Salomon Kalou orchestrating Chelsea’s play in the final-third of the pitch and troubling makeshift right-back Javier Mascherano, who stepped in to cover for the injured Glen Johnson.

Chelsea’s second came not long after the second 45 minutes had began, with the Blues front-line stringing together a number of clever passes before Frank Lampard slipped in to put it into the back of the net, with the Liverpool players appeals for handball  being waved away by referee Alan Wiley.

The Blues continued to dominate the game, with Liverpool looking low on confidence and tired following their extra-time exit from the Europa League at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Thursday night.

The win for Chelsea ensured their title challenge was still on track, taking them four points clear of rivals Manchester United. For Liverpool the defeat put an end to any hopes of finishing in fourth place and proved to be a disappointing ending to an equally disappointing season for Rafael Benitez’s side.

During the lap of honour Benitez, Torres and Gerrard looked far from being ready to quit Anfield, though recent board-room fallouts and interest from Italian giants Juventus may ensure that Rafael Benitez’s future is elsewhere. 

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham: Fourth Place Slips Away As Reds Are Held By Cottagers

By Phil Browne

Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League were dealt another blow as they failed to break down a resolute Fulham defence.

Frustrated: Alberto Aquilani 

The afternoon started badly for the home side as star striker Fernando Torres was ruled out of the game with a knee injury.

David Ngog replaced the Spaniard in an attacking line-up that included Ryan Babel and Maxi Rodriguez. Alberto Aqualani also started in place of Lucas.

The Reds dominated possession for long periods of the game but found the London side’s defence too difficult to penetrate.

While this may have been a potential dress rehearsal for the Europa League final for Fulham (providing both sides can come through their semi-final matches) it held much more significance for Liverpool who are still chasing their rivals for fourth spot.

Aqualani had an influential game in the middle of the park and he came as close as anybody to breaking the deadlock, adding a good long distance strike to an earlier overhead kick.

Despite having the lion’s share of the ball, Liverpool seemed to lack the guile and creativity to get in behind the Fulham back line. When the magnificent Torres is missing from the team, you feel Liverpool could play for a week and not score a goal.

Arguably the best chance fell to Sotirios Kyrgiakos but the giant Greek headed over when it would have been easier to hit the target.

As the seconds ticked by, the Reds grew more and more desperate. Dirk Kuyt added an extra dimension to the attack after he came off the bench and Glen Johnson continued to look dangerous bombing on from right-back.

But it was not enough as Fulham held on to the point they had clearly come to take.

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez admitted it was a bad day for his side. 

"I am a little bit disappointed, normally when you control the game and have chances you can score. We know the fourth position is a little bit far away." said Benitez

"We needed to be patient and it was not easy to find the final pass in the final third.

"I am disappointed because I feel that we had plenty of possession’."

  

Liverpool v Fulham: Preview

From The BBC

The Europa League semi-finalists come together in what could well be a dress rehearsal for the Hamburg final next month. Fulham will be relieved the European final is in Germany and not at Anfield, where they have yet to win in 28 attempts.

 

Fulham's away form is a bit of a mystery. In the Premier League they have not won on the road since the opening day of the season but they were deserving 

1-0 winners at German champions Wolfsburg on Thursday.

Liverpool also impressed on Thursday night, beating Portuguese league leaders Benfica 4-1 at Anfield. For Rafa Benitez's team though, finishing fourth in the Premier League is just as important as Europa League success. "We have two targets now and we will try to do both," Benitez said.

However, reaching that fourth Champions League spot looks an increasingly tall order. The Reds are four points behind Manchester City, who have a game in hand. With just five games remaining, Liverpool must surely win every one.

Birmingham City 1-1 Liverpool: Ridgewell deals major blow to 4th Place hopes

By Michael Owen

Liverpool dropped further points in their race to finish fourth after drawing 1-1 with Birmingham City at St. Andrews on Sunday in a game which saw star-striker Fernando Torres controversially substituted. 

Unmarked: Ridgewell beats Reina to secure a point for Birmingham 

The first-half saw little action in front of goal for either side, with Liverpool looking the stronger of the two teams but ultimately lacking the cutting edge needed in order to break through the City back line and grab an early goal against Alex McLeish’s side. 

They say it’s a game of two halves and that was certainly true of the game at St. Andrews, with Steven Gerrard picking up on a mishit shot by Glen Johnson early on in the second-half and firing in from a tight angle to give the Reds the lead. 

But the lead was short-lived, with a cross from the right wing finding Liam Ridgewell open on the back post, leaving Pepe Reina helpless as the ball was tucked into the bottom corner to bring the home side back level. 

What happened after the goal may well have provided the final nail in the coffin of Liverpool’s hopes of getting the final Champions League spot, with the reds manager Rafael Benitez deciding to take off Fernando Torres, replacing him with youngster David N’gog. 

Torres looked slightly confused when his number was held up by the fourth official, a feeling seemingly shared by his teammate and Liverpool captain Gerrard, whose facial expression suggested that the England international was less than impressed with the change so early on in the second-half. 

The frustration at the change was further increased when replacement David N’gog failed to net an number of good chances during his time on the pitch, chances which could have well secured Liverpool a vital three-points and kept their hopes of finishing fourth place intact. 

It would be unfair to suggest that the change was the reason that we didn’t win, after all even when Torres was on the pitch the lack of ambition going forward meant we didn’t look like scoring. But as the second-half went on and the midfield further increased the pressure you have to feel that the Spanish front man would have netted a few of the chances that fell to young N’gog. 

Liverpool face Benfica at Anfield on Thursday in a game that will determine if any silverware will be coming to Anfield this season. Supporters across the country will be hoping that the side Rafael Benitez names will play considerably better than what they did at Birmingham. 

Liverpool 3-0 Sunderland: Torres Nets Twice As Reds Run Rampant

By Michael Owen

Two goals from Fernando Torres and an effort from distance by Glen Johnson ensured Liverpool gained a valuable three-points against Sunderland, further intensifying the race for fourth place in the Barclays Premier League. 

Fernando Torres scored a brace against Sunderland 

The reds got the scoring underway early on, with Fernando Torres curling the ball into the back of the net from tight angle with just three minutes on the clock. Liverpool continued to dominate the first-half but missed a number of good chances before Glen Johnson’s shot from outside of the box took a deflection before beating Craig Gordon. 

The home side took their foot off the pedal slightly in the second-half, but remained comfortable throughout and their confidence paid off on the hour mark when Fernando Torres found space inside the box and fired home from close range. 

It would be fair to say that the first 45 minutes were the best Liverpool had played all season, controlling the ball well, getting forward and dominating possession. Pepe Reina had little to do in the opening 45, though a number of good attempts in the second-half ensured there was no lapse in concentration from the Spanish keeper, with a Bolo Zenden shot forcing a particularly good save from the reds number 25. 

The change in formation to 4-4-2 worked to Liverpool’s advantage, with Steven Gerrard getting much more involved in the game from his deeper position in the centre of midfield. Dirk Kuyt, though quiet, looked a lot better in a forward role than he has in recent appearances on the wing and his performance, along with the display from his strike partner Torres, may make Rafael Benitez think twice before reverting back to having a lone striker.

Liverpool’s back-four stood firm, though little in the way of attacking moves by the Black Cats left Carragher and co with little to do, especially in the first 45 minutes. Daniel Agger’s trips forward for set pieces will have disappointed the Danish centre-half, who failed to convert a good number of chances in and around the box. Glen Johnson on the other hand will be pleased with his ventures into the final third, scoring one and featuring in a number of Liverpool’s attacking moves. 

Whilst the win bodes well for reds going into the game against Benfica consistency will be the key in Lisbon. Rafael Benitez will be hoping the Liverpool that played against Lille, Portsmouth and Sunderland turns up in the Portuguese capital, as opposed to the disappointing team that lost to Wigan and was held against Wolves and Stoke away from home. 

The win certainly improves our chances of getting fourth place, especially with Villa’s battering at the hands of title-contenders Chelsea on Saturday, but everyone in the dressing room will no it’s far from a given the Anfield faithful will be watching Champions League football next season, and in order to bridge the gap between us and Spurs the players will have to put in 110% in the remaining Premier  League fixtures. 

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