Liverpool FC Forum

by **Starbridge42** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 10:50 am

Enjoy it while it lasts

Dale Johnson

It was another classic night of European action at Anfield. Liverpool came from behind to oust Olympiakos and book their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Steven Gerrard puts Liverpool into the last 16 (CliveBrunskill/GettyImages)

Passage booked, skipper set to stay, a guaranteed cash windfall: surely everything is rosy through the Shankly Gates?

Far from it. Unless something changes quickly Liverpool could face a campaign without any continental action next season.

In the wake of their qualification much of the talk centred on the future of Steven Gerrard. Before the game he had made it clear that the UEFA Cup is not good enough for him as a player, after most fans were happy to talk of how their skipper was to stay.

But Gerrard refuses to commit his future to Liverpool, almost conceding that he will have to leave the club he has always supported in order to win top honours.

'The main point I have made is I want to be in a Liverpool side which challenges for the Champions League and the title all the time,' he said. 'We have to build on wins like this, not just settle for a great win and then not progress any further.'

Forget the newspaper talk about a move in January; that was never on the cards. Gerrard would have been ineligible to play in Europe for another side and as such there was little chance of a winter transfer to a club able to match the England international's ambitions.

So Gerrard will remain a Red until the summer, but that will surely bring the curtain down on his Liverpool career.

In some ways you have to sympathise with Rafael Benitez, a man who has been woefully unlucky with injuries, especially with Djibril Cisse's horrific leg break against Blackburn in October but also the immediate loss of Antonio Nunez and the knocks to Milan Baros and Luis Garcia.

Of course, it could be argued that Benitez left himself short up front when Michael Owen was sold to Real Madrid in August. Nunez could never be seen as a direct replacement or even a back-up to what remained up front, so any injury to his frontline pairing was going to have an impact.

Since Baros was injured while on international duty with the Czech Republic, Liverpool have won only once in the Premiership - against Arsenal, courtesy of Neil Mellor's late strike.

Baros had hit a hat-trick on his previous appearance, although that was a less-then-convincing 3-2 home with over Crystal Palace at Anfield.

Tuesday evening's draw at home to managerless Portsmouth, with Lomano Tresor LuaLua snatching an injury time leveller, means Liverpool have taken just five points out of the last 15 available.

And since Cisse's injury they have picked up only nine from a possible 24 available - far from the sort of form that is going to put a team in contention for European qualification.

The poor run has continued since Baros has come back from his hamstring injury. The defeat to Everton in the Merseyside derby had wider ramifications than any Liverpool fan could have imagined at the start of the season.

The Portsmouth result was a disaster. While Liverpool's form had not been great the game in hand against a side which had won only once on their travels all season looked a home banker. That they didn't pick up maximum points came as a huge body blow.

If Liverpool are going to get back into the Champions League race they have a lot of work to do. The chances of them earning a route back to the big time by winning the trophy are at best slim.

Everton are, unbelievably for a side tipped by so many for relegation, 11 points clear of Liverpool in the lofty heights of second. Manchester United and Arsenal have a cushion of six and ten points respectively, meaning it already looks an almost impossible task for Liverpool to creep into the top four.

Cisse is stretchered off against Blackburn (BrynLennon/GettyImages)

Few expect United and Arsenal to make enough slip-ups over the remainder of the season in order for Liverpool to catch them. Which means the Reds may have to rely on the bubble bursting across Stanley Park.

While Everton will be eager to strengthen a winning unit when the transfer window opens in January, with a new quality striker believed to be at the top of the shopping list, Liverpool may well be left to patch up the holes.

And there is a major difference in the transfer tasks that face Benitez and his counterpart David Moyes. While Moyes can search for players in the knowledge he will have no restrictions with regards to eligibility, Benitez will have to find a player who can take part in the latter part of their Champions League campaign. Signing a cup-tied striker would be pure folly.

The lure of Liverpool may be far stronger than that of Everton, but at the same time Moyes can almost scour the market at will.

Liverpool have been strongly linked with Fernando Morientes, but he has played for Real Madrid in the Champions League and looks more likely to return to Monaco. Former Reds loanee Nicolas Anelka, heading for the Manchester City exit door, and Fernando Torres of Atletico Madrid are believed to be on the wishlist.

Benitez will have to negotiate the busy Christmas schedule before he can change anything. By that point the gap to the Toffeemen may have extended yet further as all of their next four games are against sides in the bottom half of the table. In contrast, Liverpool must face both Newcastle United and Chelsea in the next few weeks.

Liverpool's problems are certainly not confined to the forward line. While Gerrard does his best to push the side forward from the centre of the park in the absence of Luis Garcia, the Reds' defence has lost its shape. It is now nine matches since they last kept a clean sheet in the Premiership.

Benitez's infatuation with the zonal system when marking at set-pieces has caused no end of problems, especially away from Anfield, while both Chris Kirkland and Jerzy Dudek have failed to make the goalkeeping position their own.

Kirkland, for so long tipped as the future England number one, had been at fault in recent weeks before his injury hoodoo struck again at the weekend. Dudek was duly recalled but his error gifted Portsmouth their equaliser.

While Anfield may be becoming a place to fear again - the Pompey game was only the second time home points had been dropped this season - Liverpool's away record is woeful. They have lost five of their nine games on the road and have only one victory - at Fulham - to brag about.

And with the emergence of Aston Villa and Middlesbrough as serious contenders in the top half of the table, Liverpool are going to have a lot of work to do simply to finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Cup.

It may be a case of enjoying this season's Champions League experience with Gerrard as their skipper, as it looks increasingly likely that neither will grace Anfield next season

Now i dont happen to agree with this so-called 'expert' but it definately paints a bleak picture and worryingly some of it is actually right even tho we dont want to admit it (except for the bit that suggests we mightn't get ne european competition which is absolute rubbish) wat do u guyz think?

by **jonnymac1979** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:00 am

I'm sure I've read this before.

by **andy_g** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:07 am

i think dale johnson is a cr@p journalist looking to get his story published. there's nothing much there really. ok - he's picked up on some of our weaknesses and banged on about the gerrard saga, but he's chosen to completely ignore the positives brought about by benitez this season.

i'm starting to get really really vexed about the standard of football journalism recently. seems they all want to write sensationalist stories full of emotive language that only serves to confuse the supporters and boost their own reputations.

by **Ciggy** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:09 am

Cheers for that happy christmas to you anall

by **Starbridge42** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 11:14 am

like i said i dont agree with him but yeah it still interesting to read

by **A.B.** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 2:33 pm

I'm sure I've read this before.

You have because I posted it before.

This journalist can kiss my Red ******, his article is garbage.

by **Starbridge42** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 3:14 pm

Did you? Oh sorru my bad, i've been away for a few weeks so i didnt know, ok some1 can delete this then.

by **JBG** » Thu Dec 23, 2004 5:37 pm

Yes, AB did this one before.

Liverpool FC Forum

Enjoy it while it lasts - A truly depressing article from espn

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