by Scottbot » Mon Apr 13, 2009 9:19 pm
Alan Hansen's column
Alan Hansen
By Alan Hansen
BBC Sport football expert
The task facing Liverpool in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea is mega, simply huge.
Having lost 3-1 at home in the first leg, Rafael Benitez's side must go to Stamford Bridge, against a top side in great form, and win 3-0 - and when was the last time any side went there and did that?
Chelsea have only lost twice at home in the league this season, to Liverpool and Arsenal, and both were by the single goal.
It is a task bordering on the unthinkable.
Didier Drogba celebrates
Didier Drogba, even though he missed a few chances, was brilliant
If you analyse the Blues, it is very difficult indeed to come up with areas where you think Liverpool might get some joy, or pinpoint positions where Chelsea can be exploited. They are so good.
Take the manager, Guus Hiddink; his tactics in the first leg were absolutely spot on, especially after Chelsea went 1-0 down, and the Dutchman's nous and experience will be key again.
Then there's the players. Michael Essien, quite rightly, received a lot of plaudits for his performance in last week's match, but for me Michael Ballack showed his stature with an excellent display.
Didier Drogba, even though he missed a few chances, was brilliant and even Salomon Kalou and Florent Malouda - players who could be accused of going missing in the past - stood up and were counted.
It was a complete team performance and, you have to say, if they play anything like that again then the Londoners will reach the semi-finals at Liverpool's expense, no doubt.
The fact that Barcelona, in all likelihood, await the winner is relevant too because matches don't come much bigger than that and there is little chance Chelsea will allow themselves to be complacent.
And while some might point to Saturday's match against Bolton - when the Trotters fought back from 4-0 down to 4-3 - as an example of Chelsea's potential frailty, I see it as the opposite.
606: DEBATE
We must take whatever chances we get and remain solid at the back - if that's not enough, so be it
nalaroc
When you're big time, with big-time players and a big-time manager, what you tend to do is learn from your mistakes so, as far as Liverpool are concerned, they could have done with Chelsea having their blip on Tuesday instead of Saturday.
Liverpool are big enough to realise Saturday's match was a case of Chelsea taking their foot off the pedal when leading comfortably - Frank Lampard and Drogba left the field at 4-0.
The Blues have had their scare now and will be doubly determined to ensure something similar doesn't happen on Tuesday.
Furthermore, Bolton were able to cause Chelsea problems mainly through frontman Kevin Davies - exactly the sort of player Liverpool don't have.
Davies is a battering ram, a real menace, but Fernando Torres - as talented as he is - is nothing like that. In the first leg, the Spaniard went missing a bit in the second half as he made little impact as an isolated figure against the centre-half pairing of John Terry and Alex.
Still, there is no point Liverpool going into the match unless they believe they can do it. Benitez will be pounding it into his players - it's only half-time and it's not over until it's over.
Steven Gerrard's fitness is key. If he doesn't play, or even if he is only 90% fit, Liverpool have next to no chance.
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard
Kevin Davies is a battering ram, a real menace, but Fernando Torres - as talented as he is - is nothing like that
But if he plays as he can - he has rescued Liverpool time and time again, especially in the Champions League - stranger things have happened in football.
Combine that with the fact Chelsea will be without their skipper Terry because of his suspension, and you never know.
I remember when I played for Liverpool against Arsenal on the last day of the season in 1989 and we lost the match 2-0 and therefore the title.
It's a strange feeling knowing you can lose the game 1-0 - and in Chelsea's case, 2-0 - and still get what you want out of the match.
It can happen that you get caught between playing your natural game and trying to protect something that doesn't need protecting.
You have to temper that with the fact Chelsea are an experienced side and, in Hiddink, have a tactically astute manager, but will they get caught betwixt and between?
Of course, Liverpool have beaten the odds before in Europe, coming from 3-0 down at half-time in the Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005 to win the trophy on penalties.
That was an unbelievable recovery and perhaps they can take heart from the fact they've done it before.
But Chelsea are a much better side defensively than Milan were on that day and, for me, if Liverpool were to overturn their first leg deficit and reach the semi-finals, it would be an even bigger shock than that come-from-behind win in Istanbul nearly four years ago.
Liverpool can only hope Chelsea have a shocker and they have a blinder - but the odds are stacked totally in the Blues' favour.
Whichever way you look at it, whichever factors you consider, Liverpool face a near-impossible task.
of the way he was acting after that game. What
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