Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
Liverpool finally joined up with their compatriots in the last eight of the Champions League on Wednesday morning and sent out an ominous message to the rest of Europe in the process. Inter Milan will complain bitterly about another harsh red card, but the truth is that they have been absolutely out-Italianed over the course of this tie. Rafa Bentez has yet to prove himself dominant in the Premier League, but he is a tactical genius in this arena, where defending and counter-attacking is so important.
As Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese warlord, once said, “He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”
Benitez has never had any problem knowing when not to fight, it’s getting his teams to attack that’s always the been the issue. In recent weeks, however, something has clicked with this Liverpool side and they suddenly look balanced and dangerous. Now when they line up and try to protect an advantage they have a structure that allows them to break out and launch the occasional assault on their opponents. They don’t just sit deep and wait for something to happen, they pick and choose their moments, always creating enough of a threat to throw their enemies off balance. Sun Tzu would be very impressed.
This was a sixth successive win for the Reds and, as has been the case so often, it was secured by a moment of magic from Fernando Torres. Not since Jurgen Klinsmann has a foreign striker settled into an English side so quickly. Even Thierry Henry needed six months to acclimatise. Torres is a legitimate phenomenon. His crucial goal was so clinical, so effortless and so beautiful. It was the mark of a man at the top of his game.
Inter Milan had scattered chances to get back into the game, but instead of Torres, they had to rely on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an unworthy rival. The towering Swede has a huge reputation, but I have to confess that I have never seen any evidence of talent to back it up. He did nothing in the 2006 World Cup, I saw him lope hopelessly around the Emirates Stadium in the summer and he was equally underwhelming here. His only involvement was to miss two golden opportunities and sulk for the rest of the game. Julio Cruz, his Argentine strike partner, was far more effective.
Even Tom Henning Ovrebo made more of a mark on this game. The Norwegian referee handed cautions out like business cards at a sales conference. Not only did he bring a premature end to an enthralling contest by sending off Nicolas Burdisso for his enthusiastic challenge on Lucas, but he spent the rest of the match trying to even up the numbers. Nine yellow cards in a game played in good spirits is daft and Liverpool will have to hope that the four bookings they received won’t come back to haunt them later on.
“I don’t think anyone will want to get us in the last eight,” said Steven Gerrard after the game and it’s difficult to argue with him. The only rotation in this Liverpool side now is when Fernando Torres turns defenders inside out. Consistency has crept into the team, in formation, personnel and performance. Martin Skrtel looks like a fine signing, Pepe Reina is back to top form and Lucas and Javier Mascherano have formed a rearguard that few teams will be able to break down.
Benitez’s only concern will have been the individual errors that led to Inter Milan’s fleeting attempts on his goal. For an obsessive like him, it will have been frustrating to see possession squandered in dangerous positions. He, like Sun Tzu will know that, “making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.”
The rest of Europe will just have to hope that he doesn’t manage to eradicate those errors before the next round.
As Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese warlord, once said, “He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious.”
Benitez has never had any problem knowing when not to fight, it’s getting his teams to attack that’s always the been the issue. In recent weeks, however, something has clicked with this Liverpool side and they suddenly look balanced and dangerous. Now when they line up and try to protect an advantage they have a structure that allows them to break out and launch the occasional assault on their opponents. They don’t just sit deep and wait for something to happen, they pick and choose their moments, always creating enough of a threat to throw their enemies off balance. Sun Tzu would be very impressed.
This was a sixth successive win for the Reds and, as has been the case so often, it was secured by a moment of magic from Fernando Torres. Not since Jurgen Klinsmann has a foreign striker settled into an English side so quickly. Even Thierry Henry needed six months to acclimatise. Torres is a legitimate phenomenon. His crucial goal was so clinical, so effortless and so beautiful. It was the mark of a man at the top of his game.
Inter Milan had scattered chances to get back into the game, but instead of Torres, they had to rely on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an unworthy rival. The towering Swede has a huge reputation, but I have to confess that I have never seen any evidence of talent to back it up. He did nothing in the 2006 World Cup, I saw him lope hopelessly around the Emirates Stadium in the summer and he was equally underwhelming here. His only involvement was to miss two golden opportunities and sulk for the rest of the game. Julio Cruz, his Argentine strike partner, was far more effective.
Even Tom Henning Ovrebo made more of a mark on this game. The Norwegian referee handed cautions out like business cards at a sales conference. Not only did he bring a premature end to an enthralling contest by sending off Nicolas Burdisso for his enthusiastic challenge on Lucas, but he spent the rest of the match trying to even up the numbers. Nine yellow cards in a game played in good spirits is daft and Liverpool will have to hope that the four bookings they received won’t come back to haunt them later on.
“I don’t think anyone will want to get us in the last eight,” said Steven Gerrard after the game and it’s difficult to argue with him. The only rotation in this Liverpool side now is when Fernando Torres turns defenders inside out. Consistency has crept into the team, in formation, personnel and performance. Martin Skrtel looks like a fine signing, Pepe Reina is back to top form and Lucas and Javier Mascherano have formed a rearguard that few teams will be able to break down.
Benitez’s only concern will have been the individual errors that led to Inter Milan’s fleeting attempts on his goal. For an obsessive like him, it will have been frustrating to see possession squandered in dangerous positions. He, like Sun Tzu will know that, “making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.”
The rest of Europe will just have to hope that he doesn’t manage to eradicate those errors before the next round.
