[lfc-news] Real Betis spoiler #2

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Aggression pays for Liverpool

Pongolle and Garcia clinch victory in Spain

Kevin McCarra at the Manuel Ruiz de Lopera
Wednesday September 14, 2005
The Guardian

Liverpool have become the masters of the European victory that is as
addictive to watch as it is virtually unbearable. In their first genuine
game in the tournament since beating Milan in last season's final there
were fluctuations before they could take a precious victory from opponents
who dream of splitting them and Chelsea in Group G.
The visitors initially thrived through audacity. Without the likes of John
Arne Riise and Steven Gerrard, who would come on as substitutes eventually,
they played with a ruthless verve to go 2-0 in front. Thereafter the
Anfield side were reduced to scraping survival out of sheer resolve as all
the panache was transferred to Real Betis. Even so, this was only the
Spaniards' second home defeat in 14 European matches and, with a late free
kick by Marcos Assuncao, clutched by the goalkeeper Jose Reina, an
unorthodox approach prevailed by a fraction.

Any prophet worth his salt will put the believers to the test now and
again. Rafael Benítez, after the sublime mysteries of Istanbul, has banked
a lot of trust with the Liverpool support and drew heavily on it here as
soon as the team selection was announced. There was a brief daze over his
decisions that soon gave way to a longer amazement over their impact.
Tactics do not always entail drab studiousness in midfield and, knowing
Real Betis's impressive home record, Benítez had decided to startle them
with flowing, aggressive play. Few visitors come here in this frame of
mind. With Florent Sinama-Pongolle, a natural attacker, roving from a base
in right midfield, Lorenzo Serra Ferrer's team let their jaws and their
defences drop.

With 87 seconds gone, Jamie Carragher hit a long ball that the Betis
centre-backs, nervous of Peter Crouch, could not clear properly.
Sinama-Pongolle gathered and, with the goalkeeper Antonio Doblas off his
line, floated a chip into the net. Any disbelief that Gerrard, scorer of
seven goals this season, could be consigned to the substitutes' bench was
overwhelmed by appreciation of the unexpected participants. By common
consent Luis García and Boudewijn Zenden have, until now, done no more than
get on spectatators' nerves this season, but here they were at ease in the
most significant fixture Liverpool have had so far.

Together they doubled the lead. Crouch rolled the ball to Zenden on the
left after 14 minutes and his low cross was fired into the perfect area for
García to lunge and put a first-time left-footer beyond Doblas. The
euphoria of Champions League glory clings to a club, but this was the first
indication that Benítez can improve the general quality of Liverpool.

Unkind as it may seem in view of Jerzy Dudek's shoot-out exploits against
Milan in May, the manager has reinforced the defence with a new goalkeeper.
There was a flexible movement to Betis' attacks that demanded a series of
excellent saves from José Reina, although his defence had often done enough
to ensure that attempts were made from unforgiving angles.

There were, none the less, some moments of fear. Fernando, prior to his
substitution, was twice in a position to score, but was either distracted
or made an inadquate connection that left Reina the winner of the duel. The
Betis side as a whole was still struggling with the audacity of Liverpool,
who were aggressive in all areas and had Mohamed Sissoko to maintain a
tough purposefulness in midfield.

Betis, all the same, were too good for Liverpool's joy to last without
trial. The interval, as it so often does, turned out to be a dividing line
in the action and soon there was enough inspiration in Ferrer's team to
rouse the crowd and prove belatedly why this stadium is famed for its
intimidating atmosphere.

The introduction of Dani, a tricky dribbler, in the first half had shown
how Betis wished to test the skills and poise of Liverpool's defenders.
They scored before Liverpool had rediscovered any new ways of shackling
them, Dani splitting the defence and Arzu slipped the ball past the
advancing Reina.

It was time for Liverpool actually to adopt the stubborn traits for which
they are occasionally caricatured. Djibril Cissé was brought on in the hope
not so much that he would score as that his pace would pin back defenders.
The same logic was at work in the introduction of John Arne Riise, with his
phenomenal lung power, and Gerrard. Benítez was, in the process,
sacrificing the overt threat that had made Liverpool so exciting at the
outset. It was time to search for powers of endurance.

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