2005 v 2007

May 21 2007 Liverpool Daily Post

HOW Liverpool and AC Milan have evolved since they met in the 2005 final: and how they will probably line-up in the Greek capital on May 23.

2005

LIVERPOOL: Jerzy Dudek, Steve Finnan, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher, Djimi Traore (now at Portsmouth), Luis Garcia, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell, Milan Baros (now at Lyon).

Substitutes used: Vladimir Smicer (now at Bordeaux), Dietmar Hamann (now at Manchester City), Djibril Cisse (Marseille, on loan).

AC MILAN: Dida, Cafu, Alessandro Nesta, Jaap Stam (now at Ajax), Paolo Maldini, Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, Hernan Crespo (Inter Milan, on loan from Chelsea), Andrei Shevchenko (now at Chelsea).

Substitutes used: Jon Dahl Tomasson (Villarreal, on loan from Stuttgart), Serginho, Rui Costa (now at Benfica).

2007

LIVERPOOL: (from) Jose Reina, Steve Finnan, Daniel Agger, Jamie Carragher, John Arne Riise, Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, Bolo Zenden, Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt Daniele Padelli, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Hyypia, Mark Gonzalez, Craig Bellamy, Robbie Fowler, Jermaine Pennant, Harry Kewell.

AC MILAN: (from) Dida, Massimo Oddo, Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Marek Jankulovski, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Massimo Ambrosini, Kaka, Filippo Inzaghi, Cafu, Giuseppe Favalli, Alberto Gilardino, Kakha Kaladze, Zeljko Kalac, Daniele Bonera, Cristian Brocchi.

STRENGTHS

LIVERPOOL have a better goalkeeper and a more organised defence than in 2005 and it has served them well in their run to the final.

Captain Steven Gerrard has improved his all-round play but the acquisition of defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano has proved a masterstroke by manager Rafael Benitez. Benitez’s ability to get the tactics right for specific opponents has also been key in getting to the final.

Brazilian Kaka is the obvious stand-out for Milan but the combative presence of Gennaro Gattuso and Massimo Ambrosini in midfield presents a formidable barrier to opponents while Clarence Seedorf appears to be enjoying a new lease of life in his 31st year. With seven of the 2005 final team likely to be in Milan’s first-choice line-up they have experience on their side.

WEAKNESSES

TWO years on Benitez has still not addressed the problem of goalscoring and it could be argued his current side has fewer creative influences than the one which won in Istanbul.

Gerrard remains the central figure and Liverpool often look lost without him.

Milan’s famed defence was torn to shreds in the second half in Istanbul and with Alessandro Nesta now 31 and, by the time of the final, Paolo Maldini just a month away from his 39th birthday they are susceptible to pace. Striker Filippo Inzaghi (33) has also seen his best years and Milan’s squad probably lacks the depth of their opponents.