Talk about nail biting! Yet again we did things the hard way, hanging on to knock out Barcelona 2-2 on the away goals rule.
We had more than enough chances to finish the game in the first half, with Riise shooting just wide before hitting the crossbar and having his headed attempt cleared off the line in a move that brought a double save from Valdes courtesy of Bellamy then Kuyt. Sissoko then almost capitalised on another Valdes error by connecting with the ‘keeper’s woeful clearance, only to be denied by the crossbar.
Barcelona were awful for most of the game, with just one piece of brilliant play from Ronaldinho who was thwarted by the post. Barca finally came alive after Eidur Gudjohnsen was played onside by Arbeloa before calmly going past Reina and slotting the ball home. Barcelona then dominated possession but created very little and Crouch, who replaced the hardworking Kuyt near the end, should’ve made it 1-1 after getting onto a dangerous cross by Pennant only to blaze it into The Kop.
Another fantastic result in Europe but we need to start taking our chances if we are to repeat what we did 2 years ago and lift the Champions League trophy for the 6th time, in Athens.
Below is a little reminder of what happened in the Champions League, last 16 first leg match v Barcelona at the Nou Camp:
One of our most famous away European victories but it will mean nothing if we don’t finish the job in the 2nd leg at Anfield tonight. The atmosphere is going to be fantastic at Anfield.
COME ON LIVERPOOL!!!!
It was interesting to hear Rafa speak about Barcelona’s likely line up earlier today. He said that he expected Barca would need goals and would start with 3 up front, Ronaldhino, Messi and Eto’o. This isn’t too surprising as Barca play this front 3 most often when all fit, but it still managed to irritate Barca coach Frank Rijkaard, who said “I think it is great to play against a team whose manager knows everything. But you know what they say, people who say they know everything are often the ones who know the least.”
Don’t quite know what brought that on, but it’s nice to see that he’s feeling the pressure a bit!
The summer of 2007 could turn out to be a crucial time in Liverpool’s long illustrious history. Rafa Benitez has some important decisions to make, with regards to who should leave Anfield and who should be brought in to take us up to the next level of Premiership contenders. Rafa should be given a hefty amount of money to spend by LFC’s new joint owners, Gillett and Hicks, so it will be very interesting to see who Rafa will target to bring in.
With the inevitable influx of players, some current squad members will be deemed surplus to requirements. Below is a number of players I think will leave and who I would like to see added to the squad this summer.
Thanks and Goodbye
Fowler: One of our greatest ever strikers and my personal own favourite Liverpool player. A true Liverpool legend who scored some of the greatest goals I have ever witnessed and produced some incredible performances. Who will ever forget his 4mins 33secs hat-trick v Arsenal at Anfield or his 5 goal blast against Fulham in the League Cup on his debut. God, as he is know to the Liverpool faithful. was given a second chance to say goodbye to his adoring fans by Rafa in the January transfer window of 2006, and he played his part in firing Liverpool to finish with 82pts. A points tally that would’ve won us the title in a number of previous seasons. With his contract set to expire in the summer, Robbie is hotly tipped for a final farewell v Charlton on the last day of the season. If he does go I will never forget the great goals and the fantastic memories of one or the great goal scorers of all time.
Hyypia: When Houllier signed the unknown lanky blonde centreback back in 1999, nobody could imagine he would turn out to be one of the shrewdest signings in the club’s history and be ranked alongside defensive legends such as Yeats, Smith and Hansen. Armed with incredible composure and a sweet left foot, Sami has an eye for 60 yard passes worthy of great passers such as Gerrard and Alonso, and has been known to score some vital goals, such as his strike v Juventus during our Champions League winning campaign. Hyypia was never blessed with pace, I’ve seen faster one legged turtles, however Big Sami is a great reader of the game but his time is coming to an end and his place in the side has been taken by promising young Dane, Daniel Agger. If Sami does go in the summer he will rightly be remembered as one of our greatest Centre Backs.
Kewell: There’s no doubting Harry Kewell has great talent but his time at Anfield has been recked with injuries, with him limping out of no less than 3 major Cup Finals. It’s a case of what could’ve been if Harry had one full season without any injuries and I will be surprised if Rafa keeps faith with a player that is clearly injury prone and one that hasn’t played 1sec for Liverpool this season.
Dudek: The goalkeeper that was our hero in Istanbul with an incredible double save from Shevchenko in the closing stages of the 2nd half of extra time. He also produced the now famous Spaghetti Legs routine that surely affected the Milan player’s nerves, and went on to save two spot kicks. His heroics are almost overshadowed by his blunders and has now been usurped by Spanish ‘keeper Pepe Reina. Out of contract in the summer, Dudek will be a free agent and is guaranteed to leave with Scot Carson taking his slot as no.2.
Other fringe players I expect to leave permanently are Sinama Pongolle and Le Tallec. There may even be a couple of surprise exits with rumoured departures of Riise, Bellamy and Crouch. Although I believe those 3 still have a part to play in Rafa’s new look squad.
Welcome to Anfield
There are a number of players I would like Rafa to sign this summer. Top of the list is Barca’s Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o. We badly need a genuine world class striker that can score 20 league goals a season and Eto’o fits the bill. His price tag would be massive but there are signs of unrest in the Barcelona camp and his exit would not be surprising.
Daniel Alves is a long term target of Rafa’s and he would be a major improvement to our right flank, playing as either a RW or RB. He is also great from dead balls, as his recent strike v Barca shows. His price tag would also be in the region of £20m but there’s no doubt he would be a great addition to the team.
If we fail to sign Alves than Benfica’s Portugese winger Simao would surely complete a move that should’ve happened last season before Benfica upped his price tag. Rafa now has the financial clout to sign the player if he needs him and don’t be surprised if we sign both Alves and Simao.
Young Man City defender Micah Richards would prove to be a good signing, both for the present and future. A physically imposing player with pace to burn and capable of playing in a number of positions, Richards would have a job on his hands replacing the consistent, if unspectacular, Finnan. Big things are expected of the young recent England international and his days at City could be numbered.
Rafa hasn’t made many signings from his old team Valencia, but one player I would like to see at Anfield is left winger Vicente. A pacey and athletic winger, Vicente could be the player to add genuine quality to our left flank, where many big names have failed to make an impact since Barnes ate too many pies and moved to a holding role in midfield, back in the mid 90’s.
If Hyypia does leave in the summer, Rafa will need to sign a quality centre back as cover for Carrager and Agger, and we could do a lot worse than Man City’s free agent Sylvain Distin. Palletta doesn’t seem to be the answer after recent performances so it will be interesting to see who Rafa has in mind as Hyypia’s replacement.
A busy summer lies ahead and Rafa, armed with some major money to spend for the first time in his managerial career, will need to produce the goods next season and turn Liverpool into genuine title contenders. Regardless, interesting times are ahead with the new season proposed to be finished in time for the start of 2009/10. Can Liverpool lift the title for the 19th time before we depart Anfield for good?
I believe we will. 
The outcome of Tuesday night’s Champions League match against Barcelona at Anfield, will either keep our season alive for another couple of weeks or bring it to a premature end, with two and a half months of the season left to play.
Our fantastic result from the first leg at the Nou Camp gives us a great chance to make it to the Quarter Finals but the game is far from over. Barcelona have nothing to lose so will feel under no pressure to perform or produce some of their customary attacking football. They have already been written off in Spain, and their result against their closest rivals in La Liga, Sevilla, has added to an already negative image of Barca, in the Spanish media.
We need to find the right balance between keeping our defence, especially our fullbacks, protected from the wizadry of Ronaldinho and Messi, and the pace of a returning Eto’o and Guily, and picking our moments to hit them on the break and building attacks. We also need to hassle Xavi and make sure he has no time on the ball to thread passes to Barca’s danger men.
I don’t think we will sit back and produce an ultra defensive performance that was so common under Gerard Houllier during his reign. Rafa isn’t that type of manager anyway and he knows we are at our best when we attack teams straight off, with a high tempo, as we did against Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Chelsea, when we went on to lift the trophy back in 2005.
It should be another great European night at Anfield but it will mean nothing if we get knocked out. Regardless of what happens on Tuesday night, Rafa has a free ride until the end of the season to finish in the top 4, as I have a feeling a lot of fans are looking towards the summer to see who he signs and who he sells to produce a genuine title challenge. If he fails to at least push for the title next season after spending big, then Rafa may find himself under a bit of pressure for the first time since he took charge at Anfield.
Gary
ColinN