|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 11, 2007 8:53:09 GMT
Marseille v Liverpool Champions League, Group A Date: Tuesday, 11 December Kick-off: 1945 GMT Venue: Stade Velodrome Listen: BBC Radio 5 Live Updates: BBC Sport website and mobile Marseille's Samir Nasri returns to the squad having missed Saturday's 2-0 victory over Monaco.
Former Liverpool players Djibril Cisse and Boudewijn Zenden are also named in coach Eric Gerets' 20-man party.
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has travelled with the squad to France despite injuring his ankle during the 3-1 defeat at Reading on Saturday.
But Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso have stayed behind in a game Liverpool must probably need to win to qualify. Marseille (from): Mandanda, Mate, Zubar, Givet, Rodriguez, Faty, Taiwo, Bonnart, M'Bami, Cheyrou, Cana, Nasri, Valbuena, Ziani, Zenden, Oruma, Gragnic, Cisse, Niang, Ayew.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Arbeloa, Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Hobbs, Riise, Benayoun, Gerrard, Mascherano, Lucas, Sissoko, Kewell, Babel, Kuyt, Voronin, Crouch, Torres, Itandje.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez: "I don't feel under any extra pressure. For me, we are in a better moment than before. "We made a lot of confidence in the other game (against Marseille). But now we know much more about them, we have had them watched for something like 10 games in a row and we are more confident.
"If you want to win trophies you must win finals and Tuesday is a final for us. I've said 100 times we have enough experience to win these kind of games."
|
|
|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 11, 2007 8:57:24 GMT
Marseille tipped to dispatch Reds
Boudewijn Zenden believes Marseille are favourites to reach the last 16 of the Champions League at the expense of Tuesday's opponents Liverpool.
Zenden, 31, who played for Liverpool in last season's Champions League final defeat by AC Milan, moved to Marseille in July after two years at Anfield.
"In a way we're favourites as we're at home and we have our fans behind us," the midfielder told BBC Sport.
"We'll approach this game as one we must win. A draw might not be enough."
Depending on the result of the other Group A game between Besiktas and Porto, a draw could send either Liverpool or Marseille through, although whoever wins at the Stade Velodrome will be guaranteed a place in the knockout stages.
While Liverpool stumbled to their first Premier League defeat of the season at Reading on Saturday, Marseille recorded a morale boosting 2-0 win over local rivals Monaco.
"We approached the game against Monaco as our priority rather than the Liverpool match because we need our points in the league as we've had a terrible start to the season," said Zenden.
"The win against Monaco should also improve our confidence and get our fans behind us."
Marseille's poor start to the season has already led to the French club switching coaches, with Eric Gerets replacing Albert Emon.
Gerets had a memorable start as Marseille coach as his side beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield in his first game in charge back in October, a match Zenden played in.
"We played too individually at the start of the season," added Zenden. "We didn't play as a group, as a solid unit, and that cost us a lot of points.
"Eric Gerets is very much about organisation and discipline and slowly we've started to get the results we wanted.
"That's the biggest thing he has done since arriving - get us playing as a team.
"If you go out and do your own thing you'll end up in trouble, so Gerets has been focusing on team performance and collective play to make it more difficult for the opposition to score."
Zenden was signed by Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in 2005 and the former Dutch international was impressed by the Spaniard during his two years at Anfield.
Like all Liverpool players, Zenden had to get used to Benitez's rotation system, in which the manager bases his selection policy on computer analysis of players' fitness.
"I always enjoyed working with him. The rotation system was something I hadn't experienced before and it was a new thing for me," revealed Zenden.
"As a player you want to play week in, week out but Benitez has his views, he has his way of working and every player has to deal with it.
"He has four or five players that play 90% of the games but the other six players change round. That's hard for those six players.
"But he has got results. Two Champions League finals, including one win, an FA Cup as well as a European Super Cup victory."
Not long after Zenden left Liverpool in the summer he was followed out of Anfield by Benitez's long-time assistant Pako Ayesteran.
A relationship that had begun at Tenerife and blossomed at Valencia and Liverpool is alleged to have ended bitterly when the two men reportedly fell out earlier this season.
"Pako had all the physical details of every single player," said Zenden. "He's the one who had all the answers and it showed when players were fatigued or at peak level.
"It's something completely new the way we worked at Liverpool, although obviously you can't measure the state of mind of a player with a computer.
"I always enjoyed working with Paco. He was someone who really knew his territory.
"Paco was one of the main figures behind Rafa and probably a big part of the success Benitez has had.
"I didn't expect him to leave and I didn't see it coming. He had a big influence and was very important to us and they had worked together for such a long time.
"Paco was the one who did all the physical work, the one who measured all the strength work, all the stamina work, had all the computer details, and he was on the pitch every day.
"I valued him a lot. I worked with him for two years and I worked with him likely nobody else on that level."
Zenden might be confident Marseille can progress to the last 16 of the Champions League but he is well aware of Benitez's tactical ability in winning one-off games.
"Benitez is very strong tactically," he said. "He knows how to deal with opponents' strengths and weaknesses, especially eliminating the strengths and exploiting the weaknesses.
"The great example of that was Daniel Agger's goal in the Champions League semi-final last season.
"That was the detail that gave us the opportunity to win the tie on penalites and reach the final. We had worked on that free-kick extensively in training."
|
|
|
Post by Bismarck on Dec 11, 2007 20:59:39 GMT
3-0 up....Kuyt
|
|
|
Post by JoeLatics on Dec 11, 2007 21:02:25 GMT
LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOOOOOOOOOL! LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOOOOOOOOOL!
|
|
|
Post by Bismarck on Dec 11, 2007 21:06:11 GMT
Can't see them throwing this away....
|
|
|
Post by Bismarck on Dec 11, 2007 21:53:43 GMT
A 4-0 romp.....qualifying 2nd.....well done to the scousers....
|
|
|
Post by Bismarck on Dec 11, 2007 22:33:47 GMT
Liverpool overwhelmed Marseille to win a third successive Champions League Group A game and reach the last 16. Steven Gerrard won a penalty on four minutes and although his spot-kick was saved by Steve Mandanda, the Liverpool captain crashed home the rebound.
Fernando Torres then scored a superb solo goal, beating a posse of Marseille players before curling the ball in.
Early in the second half Dirk Kuyt swept home a third and in stoppage time Ryan Babel broke clear for the fourth.
The victory capped a remarkable recovery in Liverpool's Champions League campaign, given that after three games Rafael Benitez's side had found themselves bottom of the group with just one point.
Three years ago Liverpool's final Champions League group game against Olympiakos at Anfield had required a spectacular late Gerrard goal to secure a dramatic passage to the knockout rounds.
The Marseille tie looked even more tense potentially, but two goals inside the opening 11 minutes provided the platform for a comfortable victory.
Just as he had done against Olympiakos, Gerrard proved pivotal, with the skipper having an eventful start to the game.
Kuyt's pass from the kick-off was too short and Gerrard was left writhing in agony as he was tackled by Mamadou Niang.
He took a couple of minutes to shake off the injury, but when Gerrard had recovered the spring in his step he won the penalty that led to Liverpool's opening goal.
A neat interchange between Kuyt and Torres set free the marauding Gerrard who powered his way to the Marseille penalty area.
606: DEBATE Give your reaction to Liverpool's win over Marseille
Gael Givet's sliding tackle was badly misjudged providing Gerrard with the chance to put Liverpool ahead from the penalty spot.
Gerrard passed up that opportunity as Mandanda got a hand to his penalty kick, but the Liverpool captain was quick to smash the rebound into the roof of the net.
Torres's goal was beautifully executed.
After receiving a pass from Harry Kewell, the Spanish striker scooped the ball round Julien Rodriguez to create a slither of space in front of Mandanda's goal.
And Torres finished off his scintillating approach play with a rolled pass into the corner of the goal.
With Marseille showing little signs of troubling Liverpool's defence the French club's coach Eric Gerets introduced the French young player of the year Samir Nasri just past the half-hour.
The French international had an immediate impact, lifting the spirits of the Marseille crowd and winning a couple of free-kicks.
But Liverpool weathered Nasri's arrival and Gerrard went close with a free-kick as did Kewell with a volley.
Torres continued to torment Rodriguez, ghosting past the former Rangers defender, only to lift his shot over the bar.
At the restart Gerets made his second substitution, throwing on Djibril Cisse, but rather than revive the Marseille cause the former Liverpool striker found himself looking on as Kuyt extended Liverpool's lead.
Mandanda's poor clearance only reached Kewell and the Australian's quick-thinking and pass found Kuyt unmarked in the box.
The Dutchman paused to consider his options before sweeping the ball past Mandanda.
Cisse went close with a header for Marseille, but Liverpool added a fourth in stoppage time as substitute Babel ran clear and then past Mandanda to slip the ball into an empty net.
|
|
|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 12, 2007 9:38:32 GMT
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez: "I'm really proud to manage this Liverpool team. "The team was really good. You can't say anything else. We knew that we had to work really hard as a team and with determination going forward.
"We had plan A and plan B and we needed just to use plan A."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marseille: Mandanda, Bonnart, Rodriguez, Givet (Faty 45), Taiwo, Cheyrou (Nasri 34), Ziani, Zenden (Cisse 46), Cana, Valbuena, Niang. Subs Not Used: Mate, Oruma, Zubar, M'Bami.
Booked: Cana.
Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Hyypia, Riise, Kewell (Aurelio 67), Mascherano, Gerrard, Benayoun, Kuyt (Lucas 86), Torres (Babel 77). Subs Not Used: Itandje, Finnan, Crouch, Hobbs.
Booked: Carragher, Aurelio.
Goals: Gerrard 4, Torres 11, Kuyt 48, Babel 90.
Att: 53,000
Ref: Terje Hauge (Norway).
|
|
|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 12, 2007 9:39:17 GMT
I wished id watched this game it sounded quite good
|
|
|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 12, 2007 9:41:14 GMT
Benitez feels Reds job is secure
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is confident he will keep his job heading into this weekend's meeting with club owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks. Benitez put his position in doubt after criticising the club's transfer policy.
But the Reds reached the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-0 win over Marseille on Tuesday to help his cause.
"I have always maintained confidence that I will be the manager of Liverpool," he said. "The fans and players are happy. That is the key."
Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel each scored in a comfortable win in France, with Benitez's side needing a win to confirm their place in the lucrative knockout stages of the competition.
The Reds now face Manchester United in a key Premier League game on Sunday and Gillett and Hicks will both be at Anfield as the Merseysiders attempt to close the gap on their rivals, who are in second place - six points ahead of Liverpool
Benitez insisted he has only ever been focusing on his squad and he added: "I was not thinking about the meeting. I must simply try to do my job.
"You could see the players, supporters, everyone were together. Everyone wants to win and we should talk about that, not the meeting.
"I am not thinking about my situation every day, I am just thinking about my team and how they can improve."
Liverpool finished second to Porto in their group and will face an Italian or Spanish team in the last 16, with group winners Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Inter Milan prospective opponents.
Sevilla are another possibility - if they top their group ahead of Arsenal - but Benitez was in bullish mood as he looked forward to the next stage of the competition.
"It doesn't matter who we play now," said the Spaniard. "All of them are good sides but we are just enjoying ourselves.
"My team is growing and playing better every week. I'm happy with the way we are attacking and defending."
Marseille coach Eric Gerets pinpointed Gerrard's fourth-minute penalty as the key to Liverpool's win.
"The first goal really hurt us," he stated. "Right after that, you could see the players were nervous on the pitch.
"Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked dangerous. And when you have a player such as Steven Gerrard against you in midfield, it's hard to play against."
|
|
|
Post by trfctomtrfc on Dec 13, 2007 10:57:57 GMT
good win for our neighbours !!
|
|
|
Post by JoeLatics on Dec 13, 2007 17:52:31 GMT
2-0 up at half time, scored in the 1st few mins of the 2nd half, and on the last minute. Couldve been 5, but gerrard missed a good chance just before fulltime.
|
|
|
Post by SaintTim on Dec 13, 2007 23:52:02 GMT
The mighty pool march on
|
|