Chelsea v Liverpool: LFC ready to hit back

Apr 30 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

IT had a downbeat ending to make the finales of ET and Seven seem positively euphoric by comparison.

But for Rafael Benitez, the video of Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Chelsea last week becomes more uplifting with each viewing.

John Arne Riise’s calamitous injury-time intervention that handed the Londoners an undeserved yet precious away goal dealt a gut-wrenching blow to Liverpool supporters preparing to salute another famous European win.

The lingering pain, however, has gradually been numbed by the realisation that for the 94 minutes that preceded that sucker-punch, Liverpool were by far the better team.

Benitez could see as much as he sat down at home later that evening to digest the 1-1 draw that has left his players needing to score in the semi-final return leg at Stamford Bridge this evening.

And the Anfield manager is convinced Liverpool can revel in their underdog status once again and claim a third European Cup final appearance in four years by sealing a date in Moscow on May 21.

“When you concede a goal in the last minute like we did in the first leg, everything is bad,” says Benitez. “But after watching the game, it’s clear we had better chances, had more control and played better than them, and that means we can do it again.

“I watched the video again when I got home. I was watching part of it on fast forward, and again the next day when the analyst department provided more clips.

“I try to look for the important things. Sometimes it’s the replays of goals or free-kicks, or mistakes or positive things.

“We’ve had a chance to talk and analyse things with individual players, to discuss how we are playing and what we are doing.

After the game, I was so disappointed because we conceded the late goal. But watching the video again, you can see we are better than them so we must take confidence from that.”

One of those taken to one side has been Riise, who yesterday made clear his determination to put right his own-goal howler.

“Riise has been training well and wants to show he can change things,” says Benitez. “We’ve had a one-to-one, he wanted to talk to me and told me he was ready and strong and that I could have confidence in him.”

Although the previous two Anfield meetings with Chelsea at this stage of the competition ended in 1-0 wins for Liverpool, Benitez reckons last Tuesday’s performance was his team’s most impressive.

“I think so,” says the Spaniard. “We were clearly better than them. In the other semi-finals, it was more 50-50 or 60-40, and we scored a fantastic goal from Luis Garcia!”

The last time Liverpool travelled to Stamford Bridge for a Champions League decider was back in May 2003, when the teams fought out what was effectively a final-day play-off to qualify for the following season’s competition.

Chelsea won 2-1 that day, typical of Liverpool’s fortune at a stadium in which they have won only once in close to 19 years and not scored in 777 minutes of action.

Benitez, though, is unfazed by any suggestion of a hoodoo. “How many teams have won there in the last 100 or so games?” says the Spaniard. “The difference for me is the Chelsea team and the squad, for the last four or five years it has been getting stronger and stronger and stronger. That is the problem, not the stadium.

“I’m not worried about the other stadium and their fans. They are good for their team.

“Our idea is to do the job on the pitch and create problems for their players. That’s the only thing.”

Certainly, Stamford Bridge is no Anfield when it comes to creating a daunting atmosphere, with Chelsea even having to arrange the home fans’ festivities for them.

A message on their official website reads: “For Wednesday’s match, the club has arranged for 30,000 flags to be placed in the stands, and supporters can play their part by adding to the colour and filling the stadium early prior to kick-off.”

There is one positive omen for Liverpool. Tonight is the 20th clash with Chelsea since Benitez took charge in the summer of 2004, with the games spread evenly over four seasons.

On each occasion, the Anfield outfit have won the fifth and final game – the FA Cup semi-final success in 2006 sandwiching two Champions League triumphs – indicating Benitez’s side are due a victory this evening.

Liverpool have already visited Stamford Bridge twice this season, following an unfortunate 2-0 Carling Cup quarter-final defeat in December with a richly-merited goalless league draw in February.

An injured Fernando Torres was unavailable for both games. He scored the first of his 30 goals this season against Chelsea back in August but endured a rare off-night in front of goal in last week’s first leg.

Torres has already contributed vital goals in Marseille and Milan during his debut European campaign, and Benitez is confident that his compatriot, like the supporters who salute the talismanic forward, is ready to bounce back.

“Torres has shown character,” he says. “He can meet the challenge and score in the next game. We won’t have any problem with him.”

Last week’s late drama was in stark contrast to the previous round, when Ryan Babel secured Liverpool’s semi-final place with an injury-time goal against Arsenal.

It was the Dutchman’s fourth goal of this Champions League campaign, all as substitute.

And despite starting the first leg last Tuesday, the inconsistent Babel may again be used as an impact player from the bench this evening.

“You can sometimes expect a very good performance from Ryan, but sometimes he needs time to settle down during a game,” says Benitez.

“In the game against Chelsea away in the league this season, I thought he was really good from the start against Belletti. He is a very young player, someone who will need to be more consistent and settle down in the Premier League.

“He did well against Ferreira when he got going last week.

“But the key is whether he can start at that level or whether he can come off the bench and make an impact.

“He is a player who has pace and ability, and this kind of player can change the game. They can be match winners.”

Should any Liverpool player prove such an influence tonight, it would make for compelling repeated viewing for everyone at Anfield.