Liverpool FC Forum

[joko]

excellent one to me ace, at least amongst this dry season where decent posters are getting less

too true that we must give our biggest respect to the opponent, since we are at the "milan" side this time, and especially at a match of both english club where the unexpecteds oftenly occur.

west ham normally want the cup more than us, they will fight to the last blood, therefore we have to face it like the kings of europe would, either mentally and strategically.\

bring them on!

[bng89]

great work

[stmichael]

Despite the fact that it's been a very good season, anyone get the feeling we've been here before? Benitez has taken us back to the level Houllier got us to at his peak (in terms of League performance). The next signings are crucial. Houllier got them tragically wrong where as with Rafa you feel far more confident that he will get them right. The improvements required for the squad are blatantly obvious, but Benitez needs to get them spot on to move us forward.

[The Ace1983]

But the crucial thing StMike, is that Benitez isn't Houllier. In the frenchman's time here I can only think of four of five really decent signings. I can name more than that in the past two years that Benitez has been in charge. He's more methodical and astute than Houllier, and that makes Rafa far more likely to take the team forward.

By the end of Houllier's reign we didn't have any wing play what so ever, whereas now, without a right winger, we have loads of it. We are not reliant on a single player to bag us goals, we don't have an eratic defense that can go from worst to best and back to mediocre again and we're not throwing money at possibilities that don't work out. Rafa needs to get the strikers sorted out, while still maintaining the rest of the squad, and after that we should be real contenders.

[SouthCoastShankly]

Houllier achieved great things with the club and Benitez is achieving great things with the club. The main difference is that with Benitez we are making steady progress. Houllier had pockets of success followed by many steps backwards, Benitez is showing that with the right direction Liverpool are becoming a formidable force at a snip of the price that Chelsea have spent to achieve the same goal.

This season has been a step in the right direction, we've had many ups and downs. The first three months were awful in comparison the the rest of the year, (3 Wins, 4 Draws & 2 Losses. 13 out of 27 points!) I honestly thought that we would never recover. So much criticism of rafas techniques and tactics, E.g. Zonal Marking.

But then we turned the corner and our results shut the pundits up...temporarily. 10 Wins in a row from 29/10 to 31/12, 1 goal conceded. No one could criticise but then we hit another slump, only 1 win in the next 6 basically blew any chance of catching Chelsea and this form inevitably ruined our Chmpions League hopes. Needless to say if we had played Benfica 2 weeks later we probably would be starring in another european cup final!

Back came the reds, Benitez showed that this blip could be remedied - we recovered albeit a little blip against Charlton and Arsenal (which we are paying for now in the race for second place!). Our form into the end of the season has been back to our best, 8 wins on the trot with 1 to go and second place a possibility. A Cup Final at the expense of Chelski AGAIN!

Apart from our Champions league form this season has been exactly what we have needed to follow up the success of last year. But now is time to shut the pundits and liverpool haters up for good, next season we HAVE to mount a serious title challenge. We've done europe now we to be crowned the best amongst our peers.

[stmichael]

It’s also good to know that Rafa, like any human, makes mistakes, but what is pleasing, is the way he is not scared to change things. He isn’t stubborn, or too wrapped up in his own cocoon to change things. Josemi is a fine example of how he tried something, that didn’t work, so he changed it, and he changed it for the better, bringing in Kromkamp, an accomplished, promising player, who I hope stays at the club.

It’s also good to see what he has done to the players already here. Houllier would not have dreamed of playing Steven Gerrard “out of position” on the right hand side, but Benitez saw Gerrard’s strengths, and realised how he could use them. Some fans, pundits and journalists still speculate as to whether Gerrard is at his best in the position, but our game, his goals, and a P.F.A Player of The Year award speak volumes. Gerrard might be more pleasing on the eye bursting through the middle, but as the season has progressed, we have seen Gerrard channel his energy affectively down the right hand side. He’s not doing more than he has in previous seasons, he’s just doing it better. Jamie Carragher, Steve Finnan, John Arne Riise, Djimi Traore and Harry Kewell are other clear examples of how Rafa has helped turn players careers around.

[thegreedo]

Despite the fact that it's been a very good season, anyone get the feeling we've been here before? Benitez has taken us back to the level Houllier got us to at his peak (in terms of League performance). The next signings are crucial. Houllier got them tragically wrong where as with Rafa you feel far more confident that he will get them right. The improvements required for the squad are blatantly obvious, but Benitez needs to get them spot on to move us forward.

You're right Mike there is a slight feeling of Deja-Vous surrounding our current feelings of optimism but I think we all realise deep down that Rafa is a completely different proposition from Houllier.

When you think of it he has made some amazing progress this year, halfing the points deficit between us and Chavski on a fraction of the money they have spent as well as taking us into the latter stages of the C/L and the cup final to boot.

Personally I am over the moon with our progress this season my one regret probably being the way we limped out of the C/L with no more than a whimper. I do feel though that game came at a bad time for us. We looked tired and out of sorts.

I for one feel confident Rafa can take us on to number 19 fairly soon, if I'm honest I don't think I ever thought that was ever a real possibility under the Houllier brand of football.

[thegreedo]

Oh and before I forget, thanks ace, we need the regulars to start more threads like this and get this quality forum back on track, keep'em coming!!

[Judge]

news article (i thought worth pasting in here)

LONDON (Reuters) - The prize of automatic qualification for the Champions League dangles tantalisingly before Manchester United and Liverpool on the final day of the Premier League season.

With Chelsea already re-affirmed as champions and Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City consigned to relegation, the allocation of the best seats on Europe's richest gravy train is the only significant matter at stake on Sunday.


United are favourites to secure England's second automatic spot and leave Liverpool to contest the third qualifying round of the continent's elite club competition.

Alex Ferguson's men have a one-point advantage over Rafael Benitez's side before the visit of Charlton Athletic, whom they will expect to beat at Old Trafford.

United will be without Wayne Rooney due to the England striker's foot injury and they will face a Charlton side determined to give manager Alan Curbishley an apt send-off in his final match after 15 years in charge.

United's Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar told MUTV he hoped the club's fans would help to push them over the line.

"We need them to get behind us like they always do and perhaps even give us a little bit more support to try to get us over the little blip we've had with the loss at Chelsea and the draw with Middlesbrough.

"It's important for both the club and the players especially after the World Cup because it wouldn't be good to have to play a qualification match after the tournament."

Liverpool visit Portsmouth who are in the mood to celebrate after their unlikely escape from the relegation zone, secured by a 2-1 win at Wigan last Saturday.

As well as quelling south-coast enthusiasm, Benitez's players will need to banish distracting thoughts of their FA Cup final date with West Ham on May 13.

Liverpool keeper Jose Reina admitted that would not be easy.

"It's normal my team mates and I are already thinking about the final but there's still a game left which we must try to win," the Spaniard said on Liverpool's official Web site.

"It's difficult to think about the Portsmouth game when you know even if you win it's going to be very difficult to finish second.

"We are close to United but we have to be realistic. They will play at home and we know how strong they are at Old Trafford."

LAST LAUGH

Tottenham Hotspur will have a nervous wait to see if they will take the final Champions League qualifying spot, even if they have already sealed fourth place by the time of their visit to West Ham on Sunday.

North London rivals Arsenal must avoid defeat at Manchester City on Thursday to keep alive their hopes of pipping Spurs by winning at home to Wigan Athletic on Sunday.

Even if Arsenal fail, though, they could have the last laugh.

If Arsene Wenger's team beat Barcelona in the Champions League final on May 17 they will take England's fourth Champions League place as holders next season, with Spurs having to make do with the UEFA Cup.

Sixth-placed Blackburn Rovers and West Ham, by virtue of reaching the FA Cup final, have already booked England's two other UEFA Cup places.

Newcastle's hopes of qualifying for Europe were dashed by Rovers' win over Chelsea on Tuesday. That, together with the curtailment of Alan Shearer's final season by injury and Chelsea's title win, means Sunday's visit of the champions to St James' Park has lost its edge.