Where does one begin to adequately explain the events of last Wednesday night in Athens ? Its all too easy to look at the game as a single entity but it's naive to believe that the problems encountered on Wednesday night are simply down to 90 minutes played in a stadium not fit for purpose.
Liverpool had beaten the Champions of England, Spain and Holland on their way to the final but couldn't find it in them to overcome an inept Italian side who finished 4th in their league this season !
If you look on it simply as one game then it simply came down to not being our night when with a little more guile and tactical know how the Italians were quite simply there for the taking. To come in at 0-1 at half time was quite possibly worse for the players than coming in at 0-3 two years previously when you consider how much we dominated the game. A fluke of a goal was the Italians only shot on target in the first 45mins. For the record Liverpool had 14 attempts on goal during the game to Milan's 4. And therein lies problem number 1. Since Michael Owen left LFC we have lacked a true goalscorer at the club. Cisse flattered to deceive, Baros over complicated things, Morientes failed to cross the Anglo/Spanish divide, Fowler not the player he was, Crouch given too few opportunities and Kuyt getting plenty of games and chances but found wanting where it really matters.
Problem number 2 became evident at Thursday's press conference when Rafa Benitez was almost caustic in explaining where he believes the problem lies and there aren't too many club owners who would have forgiven his comments. Listeners to that press conference may have inferred he was talking about Rik Parry but the more astute would have realised he was more than hinting at the upper hierarchy at Liverpool Football Club. His frustration at being beaten was overshadowed by his indignation at the speed at which business seems to be conducted at the club. However Hicks and Gillet are no mugs and realise that in order to build a new 70,000 Stadium they have to fill it with fans and if there is one ally that Benitez has at the club, it's the fans hence the peace-making comments coming from the boardroom.
This is the club that sat on its hands post Istanbul and nearly lost their talisman captain to Chelsea. The same club whose chief executive was apparently in a cinema with his mobile switched off when Michael Owen was waiting for a call from LFC and after hearing nothing signed for Newcastle.
Benitez has spent £44 Million in 3 seasons, finished above Arsenal twice and won as many trophies as Manchester United who have spent £43 million on just 2 players alone (Carrick and Rooney). Despite this financial mismatch he still has reached more European Cup finals in 3 seasons then Ferguson has in 20 seasons. However where finances make the difference is not in Europe where you have to play a maximum of 13 games to win it but in the League where you have to find a way of plugging that gap over 38 games. It's why only "spend easy" Spurs are likely to make any inroads in their efforts to break the monopoly of the BIG 4 in the Premiership and what makes those campaigning for Steve Coppel at Reading to be made Manager of the year worthy of attention. The FA Cup has been won only twice in the last 19 years by a team OTHER than Chelsea, United, Arsenal or Liverpool. The Premiership reads even grimmer statistics with 1 team in 15 seasons other than Man United, Chelsea or Arsenal winning it (Blackburn). And they say the Scottich premier league is predictable !
Its not simply a matter of spending money but equally how quickly you can get into a position to write the cheque which ultimately gets you players. Whilst most fans and players will take an hard earned break now, managers and the business people at the club have to broker deals for players and it often comes down to whose quickest to the table not just how much the table costs. This is the manager who left Valencia after guiding them to 2 Spanish League titles in 3 seasons competing against clubs with bigger pockets in Real Madrid and Barcelona. Ultimately his famous comment on leaving "I asked for a Sofa and they gave me a table lamp" probably doesn't translate too well into English but he knew than and he knows now that money (and speed of decisions) ultimately help you keep succeeding as a club.
Our footballing adversaries in London, Manchester and even some on Merseyside may gloat at our demise in Athens last week but we may look back on May 24th 2007 as the moment in the clubs history when the people who have brought the desire and ability to win, namely Rafa Benitez were listened to and equippied to do the job they were brought to the club to do. Then maybe we will sit at the top of the table when it comes to acquiring players rather than having to content ourselves with the crumbs left over after Chelsea and Man U have gorged themselves !
The Anorak