The View from Anfield
I got back from Liverpool late last night after deciding to stay over there after the CL match and then watch the Prem match too.
The CL match was excellent although I wasn’t hoping for too much from the game. Whilst I can probably fairly be described as one life’s eternal optimists I tried to inject a dose of reality into my thinking and not get carried away with the hype surrounding the match. We had defeated them last time we met in the CL at Anfield but since then
the already considerable gap in the undeniable quality of their squad had become even wider. Whilst Mourinho had obtained every one of his summer transfer targets with one notable exception, our very own Stevie G ( for whom he had to settle for Michael Essien at 26 million or some such figure) Raffa had not gained his 2 main targets a centre back and a wide right midfieldfielder. Unfortunately Raffa did not have quite the same budget available to him. Still we were up for this game and as I said I am always optimistic when the Reds take the field at Anfield.
I took my seat early and joined in the singing and whilst every time the Chelsea fans tried to make themselves heard they were immediately drowned out by the Red Army
Choir. Still it didn’t take long for me to realize this was not going to be the same white hot atmosphere of the semi-final.
So the players take the field and I liked the team selection, Traore in for Warnock so experience winning the day there and Cisse starting alongside Crouch. Which I personally believe is our best front 2 pairing. I had seen them together at Spurs and thought they had potential.
The game got underway and we went at them straight from the off with a vengeance.
I also noticed immediately how Raffa had changed the team set up. Whenever we were going forward Alonso played behind Didi Haman but as soon as we lost the ball these positions were reversed. This meant that whenever our midfielders were crowded out by the tightly packed Chelsea midfield Alonso dropped off into space at times playing behind the back four. He was always available to receive the ball and then create with pinpoint passing from this position. We pressed relentlessly but could not find our way through. To be fair this was a night when we needed all of our players to be performing at the top of their game. Unfortunatley Cisse seemed to be somewhere else than at Anfield . Often just completely switching off, to the fury of Crouch who worked tirelessly to win and knock the ball down for him and Finan gave him a real mouthful on more than one occasion after watching the ball pass within playing distance of either side of him.
Even so we really did strike fear into the Chelsea side who were cynical in some of there challenges quite clearly trying to injure their opponents rather than win the ball.
They just could not cope with Redmen and other than for some scandalously poor refereeing we should have 3 penalties. The linesman had obviously been instructed not to give any decisions but wait from the signal from the Ref. This was ludicrous you had a foul happening or the ball going out of play and the linesman then looked to the Ref who at certain times was 35 yards away. The Ref then gave a little discreet signal with the palm of his hand to indicate which way the lineman should raise his flag!
0-0 to the Reds, a moral victory as we had dominated the team who had won all of their games so far. I went off to the pub reasonably happy with a CL point and to see us proudly sitting above Chelsea in the Group CL table. Still somewhat incensed by the lack of luck we were still having against this side.
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