Liverpool Confident Despite Lack of Ambition
This weekend saw a tale of two games, two very different games and two teams with very different levels of ambition. Even though our actual chances of winning the league appeared slimmer than a size 0 on a diet, Grant chose to field a full-strength squad for the home game against Manchester United. Benitez’s ambition, on the other hand, saw him make nine changes to the side we faced in the Champions League semi-final first-leg at Anfield. Whilst our players ran their arses off to come away with the three points they’d clearly gone out to get, Liverpool just about managed a point after clawing back a 2-0 deficit at Birmingham. And the happiest manager? While for once we saw some genuine animation and emotion from the Not So Special One, Rafa appeared more than satisfied with their now almost certain fourth place finish. And if there’s a dipper out there who hasn’t yet worked out fourth place is as ambitious as it’s likely to get in the Premier League under The Tubby One, he’s spelt it out for you “I’d like to finish as high as possible but sometimes this cannot happen and at the end you must be happy with the fourth position and happy if you do well in the Champions League.” So fourth place it is again this year and the foreseeable future no doubt, but at least they can put out a nicely rested full-strength squad against us Wednesday eh?
Talking of which, it seems our players upset Kuyt by celebrating the 1-1 draw at Anfield as if they’d “already reached the finals”. Considering we’d played some of the most dire football Europe’s ever seen, got an away goal courtesy of Riise when we were never going to score ourselves and managed all this against our bogey side in the Champions League – our celebration for that one game alone was never going to be subtle. As for believing we’re there already – I hardly think so. Not that any of that matters to Steven MBE, OBE, MFI, B&Q Gerrard, who’s already vowing, in his saintly capacity, to lead Liverpool to victory in the second leg. We might be unbeaten at Stamford Bridge since the 2-1 defeat to Barca *spits* in February 2006, but Gerrard is so confident Liverpool’s curse over us in Europe won’t be lifted, that he’s saying they WILL win – and Kuyt reckons we’re confident?!
Although the dippers are apparently sick of hearing how they haven’t scored under Rafa at Stamford Bridge in eight games, Gerrard insists Torres is going to rip us apart in the return leg because he hasn’t played at the Bridge yet – as good a reason as any I suppose. Just remind me though, who was the last Liverpool player to score there, surely it was in Rush’s day? On a more serious note though, I will have to agree with him on one thing, they did create the better chances in the first leg – in fact they pretty much created the only chances – and if it wasn’t for Riise, Reina wouldn’t have had to move all night. We’re going to have to do a lot better than that.
Rafa himself doesn’t seem any less confident of a victory, talking about the “four very clear chances” they created at Anfield – the fact they only actually took one of them seems to have passed him by. “Somebody has to win the match” he tells us. What can I say? The man is clearly a genius. “There is no point going there for a draw”, course not Tubby, you reserve them for the Premier League. Rafa has also more or less confirmed Riise will start against us in the second leg and has suggested the benevolent full-back make up for his last minute blunder which handed us a very fortuitous draw. No pressure then eh? In fact, to confirm Aurelio’s absence and therefore Riise’s place, what Tubby actually said was “He will be out for three weeks, but back in time for the final!” And Kuyt had the front to say we jumped the gun?
I know I bang on about what we’ve done – or more to the point, haven’t done – in the league this season, but this is one game where I couldn’t care less if it comes off Ten Cates arse from the touchline and goes in, I’ll take another result against them any way we can get it. In fact, the dodgier the win against them the better.
Anyone else want to see the smug goatee get his comeuppance in the CL again?
fourth place again? he has never finished in fourth place in the premiership. get your facts straight before trying to be clever. he has finished 5th 3rd and 3rd above arsenal both times. did any body whine about them having no ambition? we are in a much better position than them this year again but everybody is praising wenger about how well his 25 year old ‘kids’ have done this season, plus chealsea still won’t win the league you might as well have played your reserves to keep you players fresh. your only chance of a trophy is the champions league, exactly the same as us. so why don’t to try to get over yourself, we outplayed you again last week, and we will at stamford bridge
Any shops close to you sell humble pie? id start checking now
Rick. The fact is, he only AIMS for fourth place, the fact that only Liverpool can finish fifth and still qualify is even worse. The reason I haven’t mentioned Arsenal is because they at least make an attempt to finish as high as they can. I acknowledged its highly unlikely we’d win the league and yet still fielded our strongest 11 available - that was the whole point. I also acknowledged you outplayed us - not much to get over really.
Nice balanced piece!
You don’t normally get Chelsea supporters being honest about the way there team have perform.
I would agree, they do sound arrogant, but would argue that is the mindset of the CL Liverpool (which is strangely different from the PL one).
Perhaps, the reason they think this is that at half time in Istanbul, they could hear the Milan players celebrating and ripping open their winner tee-shirts - in fact they were going to put them on underneath their shirts in preperation! That motivated them to go for the second half, and in a strange way, the over the top Chelsea celebrations last week, (esp. Mr A Cole) have perhaps motivated them in the same manner… So thank you all
It’s not over until the tubby manager sings…
Idiots like you lauding our bleak chances of progressing is foolish. Grant is no tactition and nor was Jose as proved by being in the same position as we were under him!! “TEAM JOSE” concocted the special ones myth! Thats why noone wants him in EUROPE they can see right through it. We are pathetic with our bought for plastic flags, plastic overpaid players and plastic fans. I am ashamed to be a fan of the team that has bought the trophies! We should not be a billionares play thing. Stamford Bridge should be made into a carpark!
So chelski fielded their strongest eleven….I mean its not like they’ve spent 300 million on two teams or anything is it….oh. The piss drinking jew wont win anything. Utd for the league AND champions league. I assume the writer of this blog will then return to “supporting” united. Plastics thy name is chelsea fan
JJ - assume whatever you like. Reckon I’ll hang around til summer and see if we buy a new team though.
the fact that we finished 5th and still qualified for the champions league is because we won the champions league, surely it is the right of the champions to defend their trophy. what about arsenal two seasons ago when they had no chance of winning the prem and rested loads of their players for the champions league final, isn’t that the same thing? benitez doesn’t aim for fourth he aims to win the league, and every match that liverpool play. he has just settled for fourth this season, the fact is that over the course of the season liverpool haven’t got the quality across the squad to keep up, which is no different from arsenal again. the increased spending power of chelsea and man u mean that they are better equiped to put out stronger squads for every game of the season, the thing that you have to get over is thinking that the top four are all on a level par, because they are not
the fact that we finished 5th and still qualified for the champions league is because we won the champions league, surely it is the right of the champions to defend their trophy. what about arsenal two seasons ago when they had no chance of winning the prem and rested loads of their players for the champions league final, isn’t that the same thing? benitez doesn’t aim for fourth he aims to win the league, and every match that liverpool play. he has just settled for fourth this season, the fact is that over the course of the season liverpool haven’t got the quality across the squad to keep up, which is no different from arsenal again. the increased spending power of chelsea and man u mean that they are better equiped to put out stronger squads for every game of the season, the thing that you have to get over is thinking that the top four are all on a level par, because they are not
“surely it is the right of the champions to defend their trophy”. By the rules at the time, no. Nothing that a complete rule change can’t sort out though.
“Benitez doesn’t aim for fourth he aims to win the league, and every match that liverpool play. he has just settled for fourth this season”. So Torres came in and they went down a place? That’s a good one. I thought this season was going to be the big push for the PL title. What happened to that?
He aims “to win every match that liverpool play” - do managers generally make 9 changes and field weakened sides when they’re pushing for a win? And there’s no point going on about squad sizes, Rafa had cash in the summer so surely it was up to him to address the depth of his squad then?
i wasn’t talking about squad size, i was talking about the quality of players across the squad, for example man u take off hargreaves (18m) and can afford to put on carrick (17m) or anderson (15m?) liverpool take off alonso (10m) and can put of lucas (5m) or plessis (nominal) thats the difference in winning the title not. and to the other point of trying to win every game that is still true, like i said he has settled for fourth now, he hadn’t at the start of the season when he was not making 9 changes at a time. the fact is we can finish third so why play a stronger team? besides the team that played birmingham were dominating until the goal, their second was a free kick against the run of play, so nobody can do much about it, then once the liverpool players upped the anti they dominated the game again and scored two goals and could have got a lot more. so you agree with my point about arsenal as you didn’t try to fault it?
that should be can’t finish third sorry
You know what kids are like rick, they tire so easily.