[lfc-news] Why future could hinge on Anfield progression - Post

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Liverpool Daily Post, 7 Dec 2004
Why future could hinge on Anfield progression
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post

I ALWAYS looked forward to night games at Anfield, because they had a
special atmosphere surrounding them.

Add a big European game to the mix and you have a tremendous occasion,
which is what the players are preparing for against Olympiakos.

I remember that I could sense when something was a bit different from the
norm on my way to the ground and then in the dressing room.

By the time we made it out on to the pitch, everyone was buzzing and
feeling inspired, from the crowd to the stewards, the players and
management team.

For a game like that, the great players show everybody just why they are great.

Tomorrow night, I expect the likes of Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso to do
just that in front of a packed Anfield with the crowd lifting the roof off
the stadium. I can't see the Greeks being able to withstand that pressure.

If you said to Rafael Benitez before the Champions League campaign started
that he would have to win the last game at home to get through, I think
he'd have taken that. Given the way the team have played in the past couple
of games against Arsenal and Aston Villa, I believe this match could be
coming at just the right time for them.

The system they have been forced into playing because of the lack of
strikers has coincided with the return of Gerrard, and that has melded the
team into a formidable force.

They were too good for Arsenal and with a little more luck and ruthlessness
against Villa, they'd have won by three or four goals.

With that in mind - and if he is fully fit - I'd have no hesitation
bringing Milan Baros back into the starting line-up. A more lively striker
is definitely needed to really complement the verve and enthusiasm we've
seen in the last week.

Hamstrings are funny things though, because you are either fully fit, or
you cannot play. There is no in-between.

In training this week he will have to have worked himself hard - pushing
off, stopping, twisting - and if he has felt it at all, then he should not
risk further injury.

Should Liverpool come through - and I expect them to - then I believe the
fact they are in the Champions League knockout phases will shake loose a
genuine bidder in the current war of words over who controls the club.

If you ask any Liverpool manager from the last 15 years, they will tell you
that David Moores is the best chairman they have ever worked for. He tries
his best to get what they ask for, while keeping out of team affairs and
supporting them to the hilt.

But judging by his comments of the past few days, about maybe it is time to
go, I think if a genuine bidder comes along and wants to take control of
the club, then he would let them. You'll notice I say a genuine bidder. I
don't think the club has received a genuine bid yet, one that values the
club at what it is worth.

Once the Champions League is secured, then we will see just who comes out
of the woodwork.


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