I was lucky enough to go to the Europa League semi-final at Anfield, on what was a massive night for Liverpool and under-fire manager Rafa Benítez. The Reds needed to overturn Altético’s 1-0 aggregate lead given to them by Diego Forlán but fell agonizingly short on the night, with Forlán again dealing the killer blow.
This was my first visit to Anfield, and I was expecting the atmosphere inside the ground to be electric. I was not disappointed, and the crowd, led by the Kop was amazingly vocal the whole evening. As usual for a big European night, there was an extra sense of anticipation that was encapsulated in a spine-tingling rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
As for the game itself, Liverpool flew out of the blocks, with Yossi Benayoun forcing a save out of David de Gea in the first 10 seconds. Then Dirk Kuyt couldn’t turn in a Javier Mascherano cross following a neat one touch move involving Steven Gerrard and Alberto Aquilani. After that, there were few scoring opportunities, though Daniel Agger had a goal correctly ruled out for offside. The breakthrough came near the end of the first half, when Aquilani swivelled expertly to convert a Benayoun cross. The second half was relatively incident-free, and extra time was needed to separate the sides.
In extra time, Liverpool took the lead when Benayoun drove in left-footed from a tight angle. The keeper might have done better, but that made no difference to the Liverpool fans as the stadium erupted. However, Glen Johnson failed to deal with a high ball, allowing José Antonio Reyes to cross to an unmarked Forlán, who slammed home. The former United man’s joy was clear to see, and he was booked for his celebration, evoking memories of a slightly homoerotic Sid Lowe article.
Not for the first time, Rafa Benítez’s tactics and substitutions were slightly puzzling, both to fans and neutrals like myself. Most notably, Steven Gerrard was played behind Aquilani in central midfield, and even when the Italian was replaced, Gerrard remained deep with Lucas given more freedom to break forward.
Liverpool's starting formation
Chasing the game after Forlán's goal
For all of his many qualities, Gerrard doesn’t possess the technique or composure to dominate a game from central midfield, particularly against technically-minded European opponents. He would have been better employed further forwards, behind the main striker, where his dynamism and drive can be used more effectively. Apart from set-pieces, Gerrard had little effect on the match as a whole, and only managed one shot of note. Even when chasing the game, Gerrard stuck rigidly to his position, no doubt under the manager’s instructions. Instead, Lucas pushed further forwards and joined the motley crew of El Zhar, Pacheco, Babel and Kuyt up front.
That Benítez replaced arguably his most effective player in Benayoun with Pacheco and goalscorer Aquilani for El Zhar was not a surprise to many fans, who have become increasingly accustomed to Rafa’s strange decision-making. In the end, it wasn’t the manager’s poor tactics that lost the tie, but an individual mistake from a player in an unfamiliar position. Benítez must take some of the blame for that, as the culpable player was £17 million signing Glen Johnson, by all accounts an average defender at best. With the ownership situation at Liverpool yet to be resolved and no Champions League football, the manager’s future must be called into question. Maybe a move to Juventus would be the best thing for both the club and Benítez.
Here are some photos from the game I took on my phone. Our seats were on halfway, just above the press boxes.
psymon001's Blog 
Liverpool 2-1 Atlético Madrid: Reds lose out on away goals
I was lucky enough to go to the Europa League semi-final at Anfield, on what was a massive night for Liverpool and under-fire manager Rafa Benítez. The Reds needed to overturn Altético’s 1-0 aggregate lead given to them by Diego Forlán but fell agonizingly short on the night, with Forlán again dealing the killer blow.
This was my first visit to Anfield, and I was expecting the atmosphere inside the ground to be electric. I was not disappointed, and the crowd, led by the Kop was amazingly vocal the whole evening. As usual for a big European night, there was an extra sense of anticipation that was encapsulated in a spine-tingling rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.
As for the game itself, Liverpool flew out of the blocks, with Yossi Benayoun forcing a save out of David de Gea in the first 10 seconds. Then Dirk Kuyt couldn’t turn in a Javier Mascherano cross following a neat one touch move involving Steven Gerrard and Alberto Aquilani. After that, there were few scoring opportunities, though Daniel Agger had a goal correctly ruled out for offside. The breakthrough came near the end of the first half, when Aquilani swivelled expertly to convert a Benayoun cross. The second half was relatively incident-free, and extra time was needed to separate the sides.
In extra time, Liverpool took the lead when Benayoun drove in left-footed from a tight angle. The keeper might have done better, but that made no difference to the Liverpool fans as the stadium erupted. However, Glen Johnson failed to deal with a high ball, allowing José Antonio Reyes to cross to an unmarked Forlán, who slammed home. The former United man’s joy was clear to see, and he was booked for his celebration, evoking memories of a slightly homoerotic Sid Lowe article.
Not for the first time, Rafa Benítez’s tactics and substitutions were slightly puzzling, both to fans and neutrals like myself. Most notably, Steven Gerrard was played behind Aquilani in central midfield, and even when the Italian was replaced, Gerrard remained deep with Lucas given more freedom to break forward.
Liverpool's starting formation
Chasing the game after Forlán's goal
For all of his many qualities, Gerrard doesn’t possess the technique or composure to dominate a game from central midfield, particularly against technically-minded European opponents. He would have been better employed further forwards, behind the main striker, where his dynamism and drive can be used more effectively. Apart from set-pieces, Gerrard had little effect on the match as a whole, and only managed one shot of note. Even when chasing the game, Gerrard stuck rigidly to his position, no doubt under the manager’s instructions. Instead, Lucas pushed further forwards and joined the motley crew of El Zhar, Pacheco, Babel and Kuyt up front.
That Benítez replaced arguably his most effective player in Benayoun with Pacheco and goalscorer Aquilani for El Zhar was not a surprise to many fans, who have become increasingly accustomed to Rafa’s strange decision-making. In the end, it wasn’t the manager’s poor tactics that lost the tie, but an individual mistake from a player in an unfamiliar position. Benítez must take some of the blame for that, as the culpable player was £17 million signing Glen Johnson, by all accounts an average defender at best. With the ownership situation at Liverpool yet to be resolved and no Champions League football, the manager’s future must be called into question. Maybe a move to Juventus would be the best thing for both the club and Benítez.
Here are some photos from the game I took on my phone. Our seats were on halfway, just above the press boxes.
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