[lfc-news] Reds' big fat Greek decider - Observer

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
$4.98 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Q7_YsB/neXJAA/yQLSAA/2_TolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

The Observer, 5 Dec 2004
Reds' big fat Greek decider
Rafael Benítez has primed resurgent Liverpool for their key game against
Olympiakos, says Paul Wilson

Liverpool, emerging from an injury crisis, are still a long way off the
Premiership pace, but the anticipation ahead of Wednesday's make-or-break
Champions League tie against Olympiakos is almost tangible.

It is not just because Anfield always looks forward to its big European
nights, or even because successive victories over Arsenal and Tottenham
have boosted confidence. Liverpool know exactly what they have to do on
Wednesday - the mathematics mean a victory will see them through to the
knock-out stage next year - and after what might politely be described as
an unsettled 12 months off the field there is relief in finding a common
cause that allows everyone to pull together.

The feeling exists that Liverpool, for so long a byword for well-run
stability within the English game, might be about to turn an important
corner. The problem is that no one, including key figures at the club, such
as chairman David Moores and chief executive Rick Parry, can predict with
any confidence what might be around that corner.

Is it really necessary to move to a new stadium? Can the club actually
afford the Stanley Park proposal they currently favour, or would a
groundshare with Everton make more sense? Is Moores finally about to step
down, and if so will potential investor Steve Morgan get a look-in, or are
the club still hoping for an injection of cash from the Far East? Or is it
now the Middle East?

Another emotional AGM went by last week when all these contentious issues
were once again raised, and once again not satisfactorily answered. Just
about the only person capable of moving the club forward in any direction
seems to be Rafael Benítez, whose speech at the AGM was one of the few from
the stage to be unanimously well-received.

It turns out that Benítez had a pretty good grounding in internecine
politics during his last couple of years in Spain. 'The situation here is
not new to me, and it is nothing like as bad as it was in Valencia,' he
said. 'It was terrible in Valencia because the main shareholder was not a
part of the club, and though he has since been bought out, that only
happened after I decided to leave. Here, at least everyone wants the best
for the club, even if people have different ideas. That is not a problem
for me. I know what I have to do in any case. As long as the team win
matches, then everyone will be happy.'

Especially if winning matches is the difference between the serious money
of the Champions League later stages and the barely adequate exercise in
face-saving and fan-appeasing that is the Uefa Cup. Benítez surprisingly
rested Xabi Alonso for the last Champions League game, away to Monaco, but
there is no chance of fielding a weakened team on Wednesday.

With Milan Baros expected to be fit to start, Liverpool will be close to
full strength and will even have a recognised striker. 'If you had told me
when we started out that progress depended on beating Olympiakos at home, I
would have settled for that,' Benítez said. 'I think we can do it, even if
we have to score two or more goals, and if we cannot do it then maybe we
don't deserve to go any further. Nothing is impossible in football, after
all. We have seen Real Madrid win by four or five goals when they have to,
and the atmosphere at Anfield is the same.'

Benítez is certainly pressing all the right buttons as far as Liverpool
supporters are concerned. Given that Goodison Park has practically changed
its name to 'The People's Club' since David Moyes made his off-the-cuff but
shrewd remark on taking over from Walter Smith, it would be no great
surprise to see 'Better atmosphere than the Bernabéu' banners draped all
over Anfield in the near future - although in the light of recent events
perhaps that is no great boast.

Fans have been impressed not only by Benítez's commitment to footballing
principles, but his evident tactical knowledge and ability to change things
if they are not working. Not only did he send out a team to stifle
Arsenal's midfield last weekend, he managed to find roles for Alonso,
Steven Gerrard and Didi Hamann in the same team, where previously it had
looked a case of three into two not fitting. Now supporters are seeing
something of Alonso's potential, Gerrard seems happier and more effective
than ever, and Hamann says he will be delighted to sign a new contract.

'It is possible to use Steven in an advanced position, but perhaps not all
the time,' Benítez said. 'I liked us in the first half against Arsenal, but
we need more striking options to maintain that level. To play the
high-tempo game all the time, we would need a larger squad. Certainly we
want to keep all the players we've got when we are playing 60 games a season.'

For what it is worth, Dusan Bajevic, the Olympiakos coach, has promised not
to come to Anfield with a blanket defence in search of the draw that would
see his side through. 'That is not our style,' Bajevic said. 'I didn't want
it to come down to a final match against Liverpool, but if we are to
progress in this tournament we have to play knock-out, so for us the
knock-out phase starts at Liverpool. We will not be going for a goalless draw.'

It is up to Liverpool to ensure the Greeks do not have that option, and
Benítez is up for the challenge. 'The important thing is not to be afraid,'
he said. 'I used young players at Tottenham because I have confidence in
them. I will try to use the best players for this game. I want us to go as
far as we can in each competition. I'm here to win things not just to
improve my English, and this is a big challenge for me.

'The club brought me here because they wanted to change, but not
necessarily to change everything. What the last manager was doing well we
can build on. My job is to change what needs changing.'


Unsubscribe: lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
http://www.lfc-list.org.uk/

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lfc-news/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
lfc-news-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/